A Tale of Two Hearts
by mitchkat1
Summary: Len is a prince cursed to live an emotionless existence. When rebellion forms, he is forced to flee his castle and finds himself in a small village, where everyone harbors a grudge against the prince. Rin, who lives in this village, finds Len and takes him in, not knowing he is the prince she hates. Len finds himself entering into daily village life, and maybe breaking his curse.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, here's a new story. It's really different from everything else I've written. I wanted to try something new, so if it's not as good as usual that's why. This story has a bit of magic, fighting, and a completely different setting than normal. And in this story Len isn't a playboy. He's just an emotionless jerkface, if that's any better. I hope you like it.**

* * *

"Please," the old man pleaded on his knees. "I will find a way to pay this month's taxes if I am only given a few more days." The man looked up at his country's prince with a look of helplessness. The prince was a handsome young boy who was only 13 years old, quiet young to be ruling a kingdom. His blonde hair was tied back into a small ponytail. He was perfect in appearance, expect for his cold blue eyes.

The prince's eyes showed his true nature, a menacing, heartless boy who cared only from himself. As the begging peasant stared up at the prince, the prince gave him a look of disgust. He despised dirty peasants who groveled at his feet. Everyone wanted the same thing, his pity.

This particular peasant was unable to pay the month's taxes, and made the trip to the castle to ask for more time to come up with the money. He feared the punishment for not paying taxes. The peasant would be jailed for life, leaving his family to fend for themselves.

"Please, my prince," the peasant cried again. The prince looked down at him again and sneered.

"You disgust me," the prince said coldly. "Arrest him for his crimes." Suddenly a tall, intimidating man appeared in the room. His pink hair took a bit away from his scariness, but not much. The peasant looked at the man in fear.

"No, please!" the peasant cried, as the guard grabbed him.

"Yuuma, take him to a cell far from my chambers so I do not have to hear his pathetic cries," the prince commanded. His guard, Yuuma, nodded and took the man away. As the guard and the peasant disappeared, a man with grey hair appeared to talk with the prince.

"Another one," the man laughed. "This is the third one today. You'll run out of dungeon space eventually."

"Your jokes don't amuse me, Dell," the prince said. "Don't you have something to be doing?"

"Why do you act so coldly to your cousin, Lenny?" Dell whined. "I'm your only family left. You should treat me with more love."

"Don't call me that ridiculous nickname," the prince hissed. "It is childish and pathetic."

"Fine, Len" Dell replied, with a hint of sarcasm. The prince's cousin sighed to himself. He was not only the prince's cousin, but also his closest advisor. Despite Dell's importance to Len, the prince still treated him without care.

However, this was fine for Dell. Truthfully, he did not enjoy his cousin much either. In his mind, Len was nothing more than a spoiled brat drunk with power. Power that Dell believed should belong to him.

"I must leave," Dell announced to the prince. "There is business I must attend to." Dell turned and left the main room, where the prince stayed with a bored expression on his face. As Dell left, he cursed under his breath.

"That little brat," Dell whispered. "Someday, I'll be in charge and give him a test of his own medicine." The prince did not suspect his cousin's treason. But why would he? Though the prince found his cousin annoying, he still held complete trust in him.

Dell was given certain duties that Len did not wish to do. For example, Dell would travel to the villages and collect taxes. He hired the castle's staff and completed boring jobs like that. It was a fair amount of responsibility, which brought Dell high status. However, it did not satisfy the amount of power Dell yearned for.

When Dell had disappeared, Len sighed and laid his head against the edge of his throne. He was bored with hearing his people's pointless problems. Were they so incompetent that they could not depend on themselves? They complained about some many things. High taxes, crime, and some even came to him about problems that the prince had never even heard of.

"Excuse me," a quiet voice said. Len looked up to see a young woman wearing a purple cloak. Her violet hair fell down her shoulders, and she appeared to be in her early twenties. The prince tried to guess what she needed. Probably something unimportant, he thought to himself.

"I have a favor to ask," the woman said. "Please free everyone in your dungeons." The prince almost burst out in laughter.

"Are you mad?" the prince said. "You want me to release criminals?"

"They aren't criminals," the woman frowned. "They are victims of your abuse of the kingdom. People who can't afford to pay your outrageous taxes and are forced to steal to survive. I want to help them. Please free them!"

"I will do no such thing!" the prince yelled with an angry tone. "How dare this woman command me to do these things?" Len thought to himself. He was about to call for Yuuma, when the woman stuck her hand out at him.

"You are a cold-hearted, evil boy," the woman whispered. "I will ensure that your heart will remain cold and emotionless. You don't deserve to feel love or compassion. I curse you to be emotionless and cold for all your days. You will have a miserable existence"

"Is this woman trying to place a curse?" the prince thought to himself. "Magic does not exist, she must be crazy." The purple-haired woman whispered words in a foreign language, and the prince sat, watching her in amusement.

"Let her whisper nonsense to herself and wallow in her own insanity," the prince chuckled. Suddenly, Len felt a sharp pain in his chest and the amusement he felt disappeared. He looked at the woman with wide eyes, and normally would feel anger. But he didn't feel anger. In fact, he did not feel anything at all.

"You're nothing more than an emotionless shell," the devious woman smiled. "This is your curse that will remain with you until you die as punishment for your crimes." The woman turned and left with a slight smile.

"The only way to break your curse," the woman whispered, so quietly that the prince could not hear. "Is to find the only person in the world that could actually love an evil boy like you."

* * *

Meanwhile in a small village a few miles from the castle…

"Am I doing it right?" a 13-year girl asked, as she added an egg to the bowl. She looked at her brother with a big smile.

"You're doing it perfectly," the girl's brother, Rinto, smiled. He was teaching his sister another recipe. Rinto was a baker in town, and his younger sister loved to bake along with him. He watched as she stirred the batter, her white bow bouncing as she moved the spoon.

"That's enough, Rin," Rin said. The girl nodded and poured the batter into a small pan. Her brother took the pan and placed it in the fiery oven to bake.

"I can't wait to eat it!" Rin smiled. "I bet it will be delicious." Rin loved nothing more than eating her creations with her brother, her only family. Their parents had died when disease had spread through the village a few years ago. The two siblings depended on each other for everything. They were closer than most siblings in the village.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Rinto stood up, and answered the door. He was surprised to find one of the castle's guards waiting outside.

"Rinto Kagamine?" the man asked. Rinto nodded, with a wary expression.

"You haven't paid your taxes this month. I'm afraid I'll have to arrest you." Rinto looked back at his sister, who was still sitting at the table smiling. He knew that this day was coming. He had been trouble paying the prince's extremely high taxes for months. And this month, there was barely enough money to keep his bakery open.

The castle guard pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slipped them onto Rinto's hands. He pulled Rinto away from the door to join all the other people who were being arrested today. Rin looked at her brother with an alarmed expression.

"Where are you going?" she cried. Rin stood up, and ran after her brother. When she stepped outside the house, she saw a multitude of people. In the center of the crowd were dozens of people with handcuffs. They were all being arrested for reasons unknown to the young girl.

She searched the crowd for her brother. Rin refused to let him leave her. She saw blond hair poking above the crowd and ran in that direction.

"Rinto!" she cried, tears starting in fall from her face.

Only a few meters away, a young boy named Kaito sighed, as he watched his parents be arrested for tax evasion. It wasn't that his parents didn't have enough money to pay taxes; it was just that they were greedy and tried to avoid paying.

Kaito wasn't sad about his parents being sent to the dungeons. They weren't very kind to their 14-year old son. They weren't very kind to anyone for that matter. Kaito watched as the castle guards brought more and more people to be sent to the dungeons.

If there was anyone Kaito despised more than his parents, it was the prince. The prince was a heartless person who deserved to live a painful, unforgiving life. He arrested so many people, ruined so many lives, and didn't care.

Kaito took another look at the growing crowd, and saw a young girl, only a year younger than himself, running towards a boy and a guard.

"Rinto!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "What is she doing?" Kaito thought to himself. "They'll arrest her too if she messes with the guards! She wouldn't be able to survive in those dungeons." Kaito sprinted after the girl.

As he drew closer to her, he grabbed the edge of her dress and pulled her towards him.

"Stop it!" the girl cried, trying to free herself from Kaito's grip. "They have Rinto!" Kaito could feel the girl's tears fall on his arms. Her voice was pained and full of hurt.

"Settle down," Kaito said gently. "You can't go after him or they'll arrest you too."

"I don't care!" Rin screamed. There was a sudden yell, and both Rin and Kaito looked up. The wagons used to transport the prisoners to the castle were leaving. Rinto sat in the wagon near the end of the line, with a sad expression.

"Rinto!" Rin cried one last time. As her brother disappeared into the distance, she fell on the ground sobbing. Kaito kneeled next to her, and put his arms around the crying girl.

"It'll be okay," he whispered. Kaito didn't know why he wanted to help this girl so much, but he did.

"You don't know that," Rin snapped back. "I might never see him again!" She cried with her face buried in her hands.

"I promise that you'll see him," Kaito said suddenly. "You and I will rescue him someday, I promise."

"Really?" Rin said, looking up at Kaito's face. She noticed that he was very handsome and kind. She trusted his words, and decided to take a chance on him.

"Really," Kaito smiled. The young boy already had an idea. His parents had lots of money in the now abandoned house. He could take Rin far from the village and the two of them would find a way to get her brother back.

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**So how was it? Was it okay? I don't enjoy writing in third person, so the next chapter is switching to POVs. By the way, the mysterious young girl is Yuzuki Yukari because she seems magical and is awesome. **

**Please Review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yes! I got this update done early. Thank goodness I got out of finals early, or else this would have been put off until Saturday. **

**Reviews:**

**lizzie-rivers: I'll try and catch those errors more often. I'm a terrible proofreader.**

**owbitlikeaboss: I love your enthusiasm about the story.**

**Orange-chan: Yeah, I really wanted to write something different than usual and I'm glad you like it.**

**KagamineRin02: This story is going in a different direction than the story of evil. I promise Len won't die. I can't make promises about anyone else though...**

**Miri-chan: I really love Beauty and the Beast too :) **

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**- THREE YEARS LATER- **

**Rin's POV**

"I win!" I smirked, as I help my sword up against Kaito's neck. He dropped his sword and threw his hands up into the air. I drew back my sword, and brushed a piece of hair from my eyes.

"Wanna try again?" I asked.

"No thanks," Kaito sighed, picking up his sword. "You beat me every time."

"But no one else will spar with me," I whined.

"That's because you beat them all too," Kaito smiled. It was true. I was the best swordfighter in the entire village. Not even Gakupo was good enough to beat me. How did I get so good at it? Kaito taught me some basic moves that he had learned, and let's just say I had a natural talent for sword fighting.

"I'm going to see Miku," Kaito said, starting to walk away. I could see the dreamy look in his eyes. I giggled a bit, and decided to let him leave. Kaito has had a crush on Miku ever since we met her and her brother, Mikuo.

I can understand why Kaito likes her so much. She's pretty and a good cook. She's also good at sewing, and she and Kaito are almost the same age. They would be perfect together.

I decided that I should go off to find something else to do, since Kaito left. As I turned to walk back home, I noticed that the village was awfully busy. Luka was outside her shop picking the herbs she was growing for medicine. Gakupo was working on forging a sword (as usual). In the distance, I could see Gumi picking something from the fields. Meiko was running around chasing a chicken, Kiyoteru running right behind her. And cute little Oliver and Yuki were sitting by the well, laughing.

Isn't my village interesting? It wasn't always like that. When Kaito and I found it a few years ago, it was pretty much abandoned. It used to be a small farming village, but when the crops failed one season, no one could afford to pay their taxes. As expected, they were all arrested. Gumi was the only one left in the village when we found it.

Soon the small duo of Kaito and I grew. Gumi said we could stay in the abandoned homes, so Kaito and I decided to make the village our home base **(A/N Please keep in mind this is a few months after Kaito meets Rin. Rin is a bit tougher now)**. We traveled out to small villages near ours to find supplies and always seemed to pick up people along the way.

I remember we met Miku and Mikuo in a small town a few miles from here. Miku and Mikuo lived alone together, like Rinto and me. Kaito and I were in the town looking for some seeds for Gumi to plant, when we came across Mikuo screaming like a maniac.

"What did they do with her?" he yelled angrily. The townspeople gave him strange stares, but nothing more. Seeing that he was in great distress, I asked him what the matter was. He explained that his sister had been kidnapped by the prince.

I felt bad for him considering my own brother had been taken away by the prince. I wanted to help.

"Do you know where she might be?" I asked. Mikuo pointed in a vague direction towards the north.

"I heard her yell for help, but I didn't know where she went. I know the prince took her though," Mikuo growled. "He kidnaps women for his own pleasures." I took off running to find the strange boy's sister. I wanted to help her as much as could. She must be so frightened.

I ran towards a nearby forest that had a dirt path through the middle. If anyone was traveling by horse through here, they would use this path. And if someone was on a horse and coming from the village, they would arrive here just about now…

Suddenly, I heard a loud yell and hid behind a tree. I poked out my head, and saw a wagon being pulled by horses. The man sitting next to the driver had silver hair, and devilish red eyes. His attire was fancy, leading to me to believe that he worked for the prince.

The wagon looked like a jail cell on wheels. As it drove by, I could see a small door in the back with a tiny window. I could see a few people sitting in there, and hoped that the boy's sister was in there. Looking closer, I noticed that keys jangled from a hook by the door. Bingo!

I ran towards the back of the wagon, being careful not to be spotted. There was a little bit of wood sticking out from the back on the wagon that I stood on. Grabbing the keys, I unlocked the door and saw about four girls only a few years older than me sitting there.

They all looked at me in surprise. I whispered for them to be quiet, and helped each one out of the wagon. Once everyone was out, I told them to quickly run into the forest. The five of us ran into the greenery, and hid for a few minutes, until the wagon was gone.

"Thank you!" the teal-headed girl cried, giving me a big hug, once the wagon had disappeared. "I thought we were done for."

"You have to come back with me to your village," I told her. "Your brother is looking for you." I could tell this girl was related to the boy by her color hair. No one else has hair like that. The girl nodded, and led the other girls and me back to the village.

When we got back, Kaito was talking with the boy, probably trying to figure out where I had gone. He was surprised when I returned with four pretty girls. The teal-headed girl saw her brother and ran to embrace him. They were both crying.

"Thank you," the boy smiled. "I don't how I can thank you."

"Come with us," I suggested. "We know a place where your sister won't be kidnapped again." The boy looked at me intrigued. He stuck out his hand for me to shake.

"I'm Mikuo, and that's Miku," the boy said.

"I'm Rin," I smiled. "And that's my friend Kaito." I pointed to Kaito and noticed that he was staring at Miku with wide eyes. What an idiot!

"Do you all want to come live in our village?" I offered. "There's a lot of space and we live in a place that the prince doesn't know about." It was true that the prince didn't know our village existed anymore. He probably believed it was abandoned and empty since he arrested everyone in it. And having more people would make life run smoother. I'm sure Gumi would like the company too.

I told the three other girls they could come too. They looked intrigued by the idea, and decided that it couldn't hurt to see the village. Miku and Mikuo wanted to come too.

And that's how it all started. The three girls with Miku were named Haku, Neru, and Teto. They were some of the first to live in our village. As Kaito and I traveled more, we found more and more people to live in the village. We met Luka after her medicine shop was burned down by the prince's guards. Gakupo had his most expensive swords taken by the prince for his personal use. Kiyoteru was the prince's old tutor, who was fired. Oliver and Yuki were children separated from their parents by the prince **(A/N They come from separate families)**.

One common theme in our village is our hatred for the prince. The prince has wronged every one of us and that is why we want revenge. As we gained more and more villagers, we began to become like a normal village. We had a doctor, blacksmith, teacher, farmer, and people to cook food (I sometimes bake for the villagers, but only recipes that Rinto taught me).

We started to function as a normal town, and Kaito and I brought less and less people back to the village. There was no need to travel as far because we had everything we needed. We also began to create a small rebellion force. Since we are such are small force, with only a handful of us the prince won't know what hit him.

I trained with my sword every day, with Gakupo's help since he was also quite good with a sword. All the other boys in the village trained to, and soon we finalized our rebellions plans. It would take a long time to enact the plan because of all the training and practice we need, but it's worth it.

Now here we all are three years later, still training and working waiting for our day to come. I'm still waiting to see Rinto again, but I'm will be patient.

"Rin!" a voice called over to me. It was Teto. Her drills bounced as she ran over towards me. "Did you bake anymore bread yet?" she asked excitingly.

"Not yet," I laughed. "But I can make some now if you want."

"That would be great, please!" Teto smiled. She ran off to talk with Neru, who was busy with her small garden outside her house. Sighing, I walked back to my house (which was only a minute away) and set my sword outside.

My house used to belong to the baker in the old village, and the oven was really big. And since Rinto was a baker to, I decided that it couldn't hurt to try and be one to. Of course, I'll never be as good as Rinto was.

I searched through the kitchen for the ingredients to make Teto's bread. Maybe while I'm at it, I'll make a cake for Oliver and Yuki. They look like they might need something sweet. I started to bake, humming to myself without a care in the world. Everything seemed perfect.

* * *

**Len's POV**

I sat at my dining table, eating a fancy dinner that the cook had just come up with. It tasted bland and boring. Disgusting. I stood up and decided to head to my bedroom. There was no point in eating the rest of that horrid food.

As I walked up the long stairs toward my room, I hear shouts and cries outside. I entered my room and looked outside the small window. People crowded the side of the castle, yelling foul words up at me. The sky was dark, and the only light were the people's blazing torches.

They looked pathetic.

Did they think some screams would make their lives better? Is it not their fault their lives are worthless? They should be lucky I don't have them all arrested, and thrown into the dungeons. The new ones aren't nearly as nice as the ones attached to the castle. The new ones are made of cheap wood and near the animal stables as the edge of the castle grounds.

I sat down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. It was boring. Everything felt boring. It's quite a pain when you can't feel emotion. Life becomes significantly less interesting. But feelings like boredom must not be emotions because I feel them all too often.

But I suppose having no emotion makes me a better prince, right? Nothing gets in the way of decisions, making my reign more efficient. It's rather nice. That stupid woman thought she had cursed me, but instead it was a blessing.

The shouts and clamors outside my window grew louder. What is their problem? Suddenly, my bedroom door burst open and Dell came running in.

"My prince!" he said, nervously. "The rebels are trying to attack the castle. It is dangerous for you to be here."

"They are no threat to me," I scoffed. "They are pathetic weaklings compared to me. Just send some guards to deal with them."

"But your highness," Dell said. "The guards are on their side. They are helping the rebels enter the castle." This last bit concerned me.

"Why do you propose I do then?" I asked Dell, with a hint of fear in my voice.

"Take these peasant cloths and run," Dell said. "They shouldn't recognize you. Try to run as far away from here as you can. I'll distract the mob."

"Is this all necessary?" I asked. "I like the comforts of my castle."

"I just want you to be safe," Dell bowed. "I will find you when all is well." Sighing, I grabbed the clothes and slipped them on. Dell isn't serious about all this though, right? He can't expect me to leave the castle. The chances of me being able to do much are slim.

"Now hurry!" Dell said, grabbing my hand. He pulled me to a small door near the back on the castle. He told me to run and not to stop until I found myself in a safe place. Afterwards, he slammed the door in my face. Then I realized something.

I was alone and being forced to survive on my own. My own fear rose only slightly, and I heard the people's cries grow louder.

"Are they coming closer?" I thought to myself. I looked at a forest in the distance. It seemed close. Would it be safe there? As much as I wanted to stay, my own safety is above all else. What would happen to this country if I died?

I ran towards the stables where the horses are kept. Grabbing the closest one's reins, I jumped on. Riding a horse is much less work than walking. I kicked the horse and it ran out of the stables.

None of those stupid peasants noticed me as I fled. I should have never left. They are too idiotic to capture me. My horse ran into the night, and I then I realized that I had no idea where it was going.

The horse ran and ran, and I was unsure of how to stop it. No one ever taught me how to ride a horse. We had past the forest almost two hours ago, and the horse was still running. Not at full speed, but still quite fast in my opinion.

Finally it stopped in a clearing near the edge of a completely different forest. Everything looked foreign and I wondered how Dell will ever find me in this place. I jumped off the horse, exhausted.

The ground looked soft, and I sat down. It was disgusting to be sitting on dirt, but I was tired. As my eyes started to close, I noticed the horse had disappeared. I don't care where that filthy animal goes, anyways. Staring at the night sky, there was only a few stars out, and the moon was covered by clouds. I felt myself fall asleep.

* * *

**Dell's POV**

I pushed the prince out the door, and then slammed it in his face. I'm free of the brat for a short while! If the boy even survives the outdoors, I'll keep my promise. In perhaps a month or two, once the rebellion has quieted down, I'll search for him.

But when I find him, he'll be grateful to me. If he returns to the castle, his death will be almost certain. I slipped a small dagger out of my pocket that I kept with me in case of emergencies.

Won't it be sad when the "rebels" finally kill him? And the look on his face when he learns of my treason will make his death that much more sweet. I put the dagger back in my pocket, and fixed my collar.

Now, what shall I tell these rebels?

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**If you have any questions or are confused by anything please PM me, and I'll try and clear them up for you. I'm not sure if I made this chapter clear enough on all the details.**

**Please Review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Monday everyone! Here's an update, and I'm also going to answer a few questions you guys had.**

**1. How can Len feel fear if he is emotionless? - I wouldn't consider fear an emotion, at least not like happiness, sadness, or anger. Fear is a more of a state-of-being, like confusion of boredom. So it's not considered an emotion in my opinion.**

**2. Who's side is Dell on? - Dell is on the side that is most convenient for him at the time.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. If you have any other questions, please tell me and I'll answer as best I can. :)**

* * *

**- THE NEXT MORNING -**

**Rin's POV**

There was a loud knocking on my door. Who could it be this early in the morning? I walked over to the door, and opened it. To my surprise, Luka was standing there, looking a bit worried.

"Could I trouble you for something?" she asked, politely.

"Of course, what do you need?" I replied.

"Yuki is running a small fever, but I don't have enough of the right herbs to make the medicine," Luka said. "Could you please run out and get some for me? They grow just in that nearby forest." Luka pointed at a forest about two miles in the distance. "I would get them myself," Luka continued. "But I don't want to leave Yuki alone, in case she gets any sicker."

"I'm happy to help!" I smiled. Luka explained to me exactly what plant I was looking for, and then she quickly left to check on Yuki. I grabbed my brown cloak, since it was a bit cold, and my sword, and headed towards the forest. I expected it to take only an hour or two to collect everything. Then I can take the herbs to Luka, and that cake I made yesterday to Yuki.

I didn't feel like grabbing a horse to go the forest. It was only two miles after all. I asked Neru, who was sitting outside tending to her garden, if she could watch my house for a little while. She gladly agreed, and turned back to her flowers.

After about 30 minutes of walking and jogging, I arrived at the forest. Looking at my surroundings, I tried to find the herb Luka was looking for. It was green and funny shaped leaves. She said it also smelled like mint, but a bit different.

I trudged deeper into the forest, since the herb didn't appear to grow near the edge. Kneeling down, I looked a bit harder. Then I heard a loud noise, coming from the opposite direction. It sounded like a horse.

Standing up, I walked in the direction of the noise. If there was a horse, there had to be a rider. What if it was one of the prince's men? Could they have found out about the village? I quickly started to run, as I pulled out my sword. A fight might be necessary if I am going to protect my village.

I arrived near a small pond, where a horse was drinking. It looked like a fancy, well-taken care of horse, but there was no rider. How did a horse like that end up here then? I walked up closer the horse, until I was practically touching it.

"Where is your rider?" I asked, petting the horse's head. The horse made a noise, and turned around. Is it going to show me? The horse nudged me with its head, and made another noise. I patted its head with a smile.

"You're a pretty nice horse," I observed. "If you want, you can come home with me." The horse nodded its head, almost as if it was agreeing with me.

"I'll have to come up with a name though," I said, thinking to myself. What's a good name for a horse? Then I remembered that I had to look for this horse's rider. I jumped on the horse, and asked her (I'm assuming it's a her) to take me to her rider again.

The horse and I ran through the forest until we reached a small clearing. To my surprise, a boy around my age was sitting there, asleep. Who would sleep in a place like this? I dismounted form the horse, and walked over to the boy.

His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but most of his hair had fallen out of it. His clothes were very fancy. He must come from a wealthy family, probably near the castle. What is he doing out here?

His image reminded me of what I imagined the prince as looking like **(A/N Keep in mind that no one in the village has actually ever seen the prince, except for Kiyoteru. They've never traveled the castle, and there are no photos). **The prince would be older though, and less good looking than this boy. He was kind of cute.

I poked the boy on his forehead. His nose scrunched up, making me laugh, so I poked him again. The second time he woke up. His eyes were a stunning, cold blue. He shot up, and pointed his finger at me.

"What are you doing?" he demanded to know.

"You were asleep," I pointed out. "I was just trying to wake you up. What are you doing sleeping in a place like this?" I asked.

"That's none of your business," the boy said, defensively. Someone is keeping secrets, and he's not very nice to boot. I bet he's just afraid.

"Why don't you come back with me?" I offered. "You look cold and hungry, and I can get you something to eat."

"Fine," the boy simply said. I helped him get onto the horse, and then I jumped on. I was about to leave the forest, when I remembered the herbs.

"Sorry," I apologized to the boy. "I have to grab something real quick." He gave me a bored expression, but said nothing.

I looked through some shrubbery and quickly found what I was looking for. I stuck the herbs in a pocket in my cloak, and returned to the boy.

"Sorry," I apologized again. "I had to collect these herbs for a friend of mine."

"As if I care," the boy said coldly. His reply took me aback. Why was he being so rude? I offered to take him to my village and feed him, and this is his thank you? I suppose he does come from a wealthy family. He must be used to being waited on hand and foot.

I ignored the boy's reply, and led the horse back home. The ride back was much quicker, since we were on a horse. The boy and I barely had any time to talk. He doesn't say much though.

"You remind me of the prince, you know?" I said to the boy, as we neared the village. The boy said nothing.

"It's a good thing you aren't though," I laughed. "Then I would have had to kill you."

* * *

**Len's POV**

I sat behind the peasant girl on the horse. Needless to say, I did not want to talk with her. Her white bow bobbed up and down as the horse moved. She was a pretty girl, I suppose, but still a disgusting peasant.

You probably think I'm rude for not thanking her, but in actuality she should be thanking me. She is in the presence of royalty. And besides what reason does an emotionless royal have to thank a disgusting commoner.

"You remind me of the prince, you know?' the girl said suddenly. Her stupidity amazed me. Does she not know she is with the prince? I said nothing in reply.

"It's a good thing you aren't though," the girl added with a small laugh. "Then I would have had to kill you."

What? Kill me? Is this girl out of her mind? Who would kill a prince? That's treason, and she would have her own life taken away. Perhaps, it's best not to talk with this girl. She appears to be a bit crazy.

After a bit more riding, we arrived in a small village filled with people. A woman was tending to her garden, and a child sat by a well. Some men were outside practicing sword fighting. It was very lively, and radiated happiness. Disgusting.

The horse stopped in front of a small house, and the girl hopped off. Assuming that this was her home, I did the same. The girl opened the door, and the two of us walked in. The house was not as nice as the palace, but that was to be expected. A large oven was in the kitchen.

"What would you like?" the girl asked.

"Whatever," I replied, emotionlessly. All food tastes bland, so there was no point in making a recommendation. The girl set to work in her kitchen. As she cooked, she tried to have a conversation with me.

"We never properly introduced ourselves," the girl said, as she set a large pot in the fire. "I'm Rin."

"Len," I said, as I took a seat on a small chair.

"That's a nice name," Rin smiled, as she threw some vegetables into the pot. "What were you doing out in the forest? I know you didn't want to say, but I'd like to know." I said nothing, and looked down at my feet.

Rin laughed a bit. "You're a quiet one, aren't you? Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait to have my questions answered." She laughed a bit more, and then turned to whatever she was making.

After a few minutes, Rin set a bowl of soup in front of me. "Eat it," she smiled, handing me a spoon. Sighing, I took a small sip **(A/N Do you drink soup or do you eat it?). **To my surprise, it tasted good. It was unlike the food at the palace. This soup actually tasted good. I quickly ate the rest. It had been so long since I had eaten anything with actual flavor.

"I take it you liked it?" Rin smiled, grabbing my bowl. "Do you want some more?" I nodded, and she poured more soup into my bowl. I ate the entire thing again.

"You're really interesting," Rin said. "You don't say much, but you certainly have a big appetite." Rin grabbed her own bowl of soup and sat in front of me. "You're also pretty cute," she added.

For a moment, I felt my face heat up. No, there must have been a wave of heat coming from the fire. I, a great prince, cannot feel flustered. There's also that whole curse matter.

Rin finished her soup, and took both of our bowls. There was a knock on her door. When Rin answered, a woman with long pink hair was standing there.

"Do you have the herbs?" she asked. Rin nodded, and pulled something from her cloak pocket.

"Thank you," the woman smiled. Then she looked at me, and turned back to Rin. "Who's that?"

"That's Len," Rin explained. "I found him sleeping in the forest. He's a quiet one."

"Maybe he should meet Kaito," the woman giggled. "That would liven anyone up."

"That's a great idea!" Rin shouted. She ran over to me, and grabbed my arm. "I want you to meet someone!" she smiled.

She pulled me out the door, and towards the center of the small village. A few men were gathered there. A man with dark blue hair was sparing a man with long purple hair. A teal-headed man was taking a break and talking with a man with glasses. He looked like my old tutor, Kiyoteru, who I had fired a long time ago.

"Hey guys!" Rin said. All the men turned to face her with a smile. "Hello," the blue-haired boy said, putting down his sword. As the blue-haired boy started to talk, the man with the glasses gave me a wary look. He mumbled something to himself, and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes, and put them back on. He looked a bit confused.

"Who's your friend?" the blue-haired boy asked.

"This is Len," Rin replied. "And Len, this is Kaito." The man named Kaito glanced at me suspiciously. And in one swift motion, Kaito who had been standing a few meters away was standing in front of me with his sword against my neck.

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**Kinda of short today, sorry. I'll try and make it longer next time.**

**Please Review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for taking so long on this chapter. I had a bit of writer's block, along with homework and sickness. As a result, this chapter is not up to usual standards in my opinion. I didn't have much time to read over it, so if there are grammatical errors, I apologize. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story. It's good encouragement :)**

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**Len's POV**

In an instant, the blue-haired man named Kaito, had his sword against my neck. Was he going to kill me? It normally isn't good manners to kill someone when you meet them. It leaves a bad first impression. The sword was just barely touching my skin, and if I took even a breath, I'm sure the sword would have sliced right through my neck.

I continued to stand still, not saying anything. Out of the corner of me eye, I could see Rin and the other men watching me. It was as if they were wondering what I would do next. Then Kaito sighed, and drew back his sword.

"That's an awfully dull boy, you've got here," Kaito said to Rin. "In any other circumstance, he would have been killed ten times over."

"You'll have to teach him how to fight," Rin said. I don't need to learn how to fight. A prince has people who fight for him. Suddenly, Rin threw me a sword. I'm not sure where she got it from, but it was certainly a big one.

"Let's see how good you are," Rin smiled. "If you want to stay here, you're gonna have to know how to fight. A rebellion is useless without good swordsmen."

"What do you mean a rebellion?" I asked. Does that mean there are more crazy people like this girl in town?

"We're going to overthrow the prince!" Kaito said proudly. "He'll never see it coming."

"Kaito, don't just give all our plans away like that," the purple-haired man scolded. So, they are all crazy. I have to get out of this village of insane people. But what if they find out I'm the prince? Will they kill me?

"I'm going to….err…. go do stuff," I mumbled, as I slowly started to back away from the small group. I set the sword on the ground, and was ready to run.

"No way!" Rin smiled, grabbing my hand. "You're gonna be a fighter. We could always use more men."

"No, I can't fight, really," I said, trying to lie my way out of the situation. Rin was about to reply, when she suddenly had a nervous look on her face.

"The cake!" she cried, as she started to run towards her house. Everyone stared her in confusion. Rin certainly is a strange girl.

"While Rin is gone, how about we teach you some simple moves?" Kaito asked. Sighing, I agreed. I might as well pretend to get along with everyone, so they don't cut off my head or anything.

"Fine," I scoffed, picking up the sword I had set on the ground.

"Someone has an attitude," the purple-headed man snickered, pointing at me. Kaito gave a chuckle in agreement, and then walked towards me with his sword.

"Hold it like this," he said, trying to show me how to position my hands on the sword. "You don't want something as sharp as that swinging out of your hands in a fight," Kaito joked. "Now, try lunging at me with it."

Holding the sword tightly, I tried to step forward towards Kaito, wielding the sword in the air. Almost immediately, it fell out of my hands onto the ground. When using it, it felt extremely heavy.

"Looks like you need a lighter sword," Kaito observed. He turned to the purple-haired man. "Gakupo, think you can get this kid an appropriate sword?" The man named Gakupo nodded, and wandered off to fulfill his task.

"We have a bit of free time. Want to look around?" Kaito offered.

"Sure," I sighed. There was nothing better to do in this hell hole. When will Dell come back to get me? This place is as boring as the castle, but at least at the palace I don't have to worry about my life.

The glasses man walked up to me, before we started to walk. He opened his mouth to say something, when a loud shouting came from behind.

"Kiyo!" a womanly voice yelled. "The chickens got out again!" A woman with short brown hair appeared, and grabbed the glasses man's sleeve. Her voice was slightly slurred, and something told me that she had gotten a more than healthy dose of alcohol lately.

"Go on, Kiyo," Kaito laughed. "Don't you want to help your girlfriend out?" The glasses man gave him a dirty look, and turned to the woman.

"Let's go, Meiko," he said, pulling the woman away from us.

"We better get going too," Kaito said. "It'll take a while to give you the full tour, and I'm going to be seeing Miku tonight." I assumed Miku was his fiancée or something, but I said nothing.

"There are not too many people here, if you haven't noticed," Kaito said, as he started his tour. "Only a handful compared to the population of this place before we found it. It must have been a real lively village a couple years back, at least until the prince got a hold of everyone."

I kept my eyes on the ground, as Kaito spoke ill of me. I didn't care that he was saying such things, though he should have more respect for his monarch.

"This here is Luka's house," Kaito said, pointing towards a small home with an overflowing garden. "She's basically our doctor. We couldn't get along without her. The prince's men burned down her home in her old town, so now she lives here."

"And that there is where Miku and her brother live," Kaito said in an over excited tone. "We've got two little ones, Yuki and Oliver, who live with them too."

"Does she have some sort of backstory too?" I asked, not seriously though. It was more of an insult than anything. But Kaito's face was serious, as he sighed.

"Miku was captured by the prince and was supposed to be taken back to the castle as a slave, along with a few other women," Kaito explained. "If Rin hadn't saved her, who knows what would have happened to her."

For a moment, I was slightly confused. I had never issued an order to kidnap young woman. That was low, even for me. Besides, village women are usually useless and would make terrible slaves.

"Len!" a voice called to me. I turned to face Rin, who had apparently finished whatever errand she had gone off to run.

"Thanks Kaito," Rin said, thanking the blue-haired boy. "I can take care of Len now." Take care of me? What am I, some kind of child? Kaito nodded, and went off to talk with a young woman nearby who was talking to a young child.

"Do you want to see the rest of the village?" Rin asked, innocently.

"No," I replied, cold-heartedly. Rin's face looked a bit hurt, and for a moment I felt a pang of guilt. No, I must have a stomach ache from her soup. I don't feel guilty for someone as low as a peasant.

"Do you want to go back to my home?" Rin said, trying to please me.

"I am tired," I replied. "Do you have a bed for me?"

"Yes," Rin smiled. "I'll take you home right now." I followed her back to her small house. She took me inside and up to a small bedroom. There was a small bed, a table with a candle, and a book.

"Will this do?" Rin asked, kindly. "It's the best I have." I sat down on the bed, and noticed that it was not very comfortable. Nothing like the beds at the palace. How could someone sleep on this every night? Then I realized that I had seen only one bed in the house.

"Where will you sleep?" I asked, not out of kindness, but because I just wanted to know. Rin thought to herself for a moment.

"I'm sure I'll find someplace," Rin said. "Now, would you like some dinner. I've got some leftover bread." I nodded, and Rin ran off to her kitchen to bring me "dinner".

**Rin's POV**

I rummaged through the kitchen, looking for something to go along with the bread, I felt bad that I was giving someone from a wealthy family such a terrible meal. And though Len wasn't the nicest boy I've ever met, I felt it was my duty to make him comfortable. Len must feel so alone and afraid, since he is far from home. He must miss his family. I will do all I can to bring him comfort, and hopefully he'll get back home.

After finding some jam to go with the bread, I walked back up to the bedroom. To my surprise, Len was already fast asleep. He must have tired himself out today. I set down the bread and jam on the small side table. I put out the candle, and started to leave the room.

"Rin?" Len's voice rang out in the darkness. I said nothing, and hoped that Len would go back to sleep. But to my surprise, he continued to speak.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked. For a moment, I was silent. Then I walked over, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I feel bad for you," I answered truthfully. "You must be so lonely, and I've felt the same. You also remind me of someone I knew from a while ago."

"Who?" Len questioned further. I thought about Rinto, who's appearance reminded me much of Len's. A small tear fell down my face, as I remembered. Looking towards the end of the bed, I could not see Len's face. That meant he could not see mine face or my tears.

"You remind me of my brother, Rinto," I confessed. "He was arrested by the prince three years ago. I felt so lonely when he was gone, but at least I had Kaito. You must feel the same as I did. Lonely, lost, and sad. But don't worry," I promised. "I'll make sure you get home, eventually."

Len was quiet, and I assumed that he had fallen back asleep. I wiped away my few tears, and stood up.

"Good night," I whispered, as I left the bedroom. Now, where shall I sleep tonight?

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**Sorry if its a crappy chapter. Next chapter will be better.**

**Please Review :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for a late update. I had stuff, but now I have time. I hope you like this chapter, and thanks to everyone who is reviewing. It keeps me motivated to continue this story. :)**

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**Len's POV**

The next morning I awoke, as the sun was just rising. With a yawn, I pushed myself out of bed and almost called out to Dell to come have the servants make me breakfast. Then I realized that I was not in the comforts of my castle, but some dingy home in the middle of nowhere.

The scent of something baking drifted into the small room, and I was drawn downstairs. Quickly, I ran to the large kitchen and saw Rin baking bread. Despite it probably made from low quality ingredients, it smelled amazing. It was unlike any scent at the palace.

"Good morning," Rin smiled, as she turned towards me. "I hope you slept well." I gave a nod, and wandered closer to her. She set a loaf of bread down on the table, and cut it in half. She handed me one of the halves.

"Again, I apologize for the meal," she said. Rin turned back to pull another loaf from the oven, as I snacked on my bread. It tasted good, almost as good as the soup Rin made yesterday. Though I had only tasted her cooking a few times, it was a thousand times better than what I was normally used to.

"By the way," Rin said, as she set her last loaf on the table. "Could you deliver this bread to some people? I need to help Gakupo out with something this morning, and I don't have the time to do the deliveries." I recalled that Gakupo had been the sword smith with the long, purple hair. I wonder what business Rin could have with him.

"I'd really rather not," I replied truthfully. Being someone's delivery boy was not something a prince did. It was a job meant for the lower class. Rin simply nodded, and said in return, "That's okay, I think I can manage anyways." I felt a pang of pain in my stomach. What was this? Did her bread poison me?

Rin grabbed a basket and set the loaves of bread inside. She covered them with a small towel, and headed towards the door.

"Wait," I said, grabbing her shoulder. "I guess I could deliver them." I instantly regretted saying that. Rin gave me a big smile, and handed me the basket.

"Thank you so much," she beamed. "Just drop one loaf off at all the houses. Everyone should be home." With that, she quickly ran out the door to Gakupo's. She seemed to be in a hurry.

With a sigh, I walked outside and observed the small town. Even though it was small, there were still quite a few houses. At least fifteen and that meant lots of walking. I noticed a girl with a long ponytail working outside her house in a garden.

I walked over to her, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and revealed a face covered in dirt. It must have been from her garden, but it made her look poor and pathetic. I handed her the loaf of bread, and she gave a smile.

"You must be that newcomer, Len?" she said. News travels fast here, doesn't it?

"Yes," I replied, my voice filled with boredom. I had no desire to stay and chat with this girl, since I have things to do.

"You seem a bit weak, but I'm sure Kaito will train you in no time," she laughed. "You'll be a great addition to our little rebel force." There was the mention of that rebellion again. I guess everyone in the village really is in on it. I'll have to have this village eliminated as soon as I return to the palace. It isn't safe to have rebels like these people around.

"I'm Neru," the girl said, sticking out her hand. It was covered in a thick layer of dirt. With a look of disgust, I turned to leave to go to the next house.

The drunken woman from yesterday was in the next house I visited, but she wasn't as drunk now. She looked down at the bread as she opened her door, and snatched it from my hands. Her glare would have made any normal person uncomfortable, but I was unaffected.

"I don't trust you," she said, with a growl. "A rich bastard like you has no place here. You'll be killed as soon as you step foot in a fight. Go back to your mansion or something." She slammed the door in my face, and I felt a bit frightened now. She was scary.

As I was about to leave, the door opened again. I expected it to be the scary lady, so I turned to run. Suddenly, a voice called out, "Wait!" The glasses man from yesterday was standing in the doorway with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Meiko can be a bit harsh sometimes. She isn't very trustworthy of people since her encounter with the prince."

"What encounter?" I asked, almost immediately. It's not like I really cared, but I had never seen that woman in my life.

"You see," the man started. "A couple years back, one of the prince's right-hand men, a shady looking fellow with graying hair, came to Meiko's village searching for some extra help. This was before the prince had developed his bad reputation, so Meiko accepted a job, hoping to earn some money to pay for those drinking habits of hers. She thought her job would be cleaning stables or something, but the prince had different plans in my mind. Turns out, he was just gathering people and forcing them to work. They didn't get paid, and were treated like animals."

I had no recollection of such things. Dell did all the hiring of servants and staff, but I had always assumed that they were treated fairly. Not that I cared much though.

"I was working for the prince at the time. I was his tutor, though it was the most miserable job I had ever had. That's when I met Meiko. I found her in the courtyard, covered in muck, exhausted after her day's work. I fell in love instantly. I started to talk with her and we really hit it off, but she made me realize the prince's true cruelty. She and I escaped the palace and found our way to this town, in the hopes of making the prince pay for his crimes against his people."

So the glasses man was Kiyoteru. I remember him leaving suddenly, right in the middle of the year. Dell claimed that he had quit, and never mentioned anything about trying to escape. Was the palace that much of a prison to some people?

"I'm sorry for boring you with such a story," Kiyoteru chuckled. "People are waiting for that bread, are they not?" I nodded, and ran off to deliver the bread. But I found myself deep in thought over what Kiyoteru had told me.

**A FEW HOURS LATER**

The last of the bread had been delivered, and I walked back to Rin's house with an empty basket. The morning was almost over, and changing to the afternoon. I was surprised to see Rin and Gakupo talking outside of the house.

"Len!" Rin exclaimed, as she saw walking. "Come here, I have a surprise!" Not feeling the least bit excited, I walked over.

"What?" I asked, in an irritated tone. I didn't mean to sound like that, but it just came out that way. But Rin's smile didn't falter.

"Surprise!" she shouted, as she pulled a long object from behind her back. It was a sword, and a very well made one at that.

"Gakupo made this for you, after Kaito and I decided you needed a sword more your size," Rin smiled. "I'm surprised Gakupo made such a sword so fast, but here it is." She set the sword in my hands, and its tip gleamed in the sunlight.

I stared at it in awe. It was very beautiful and looked like it could slice through a man in an instant.

"Now you'll be able to start training," Rin said. "After all, it's only a matter of months." I didn't know what she was talking about, but I didn't care at the moment.

"Do you like it?" Rin asked. "Is it too big? Or do have better swords than that back at your home? We can always try again if you don't like it." I still don't understand why Rin does so much to please me. She'd probably jump off a cliff if I asked her too.

"It's…nice," I said, looking up to Rin's face. Her blue eyes radiated happiness, and my stomach started to hurt again.

"That's great!" Rin cheered, as she wrapped her arms around me in a huge embrace. I was taken aback by the sudden hug, but felt my cheeks heat up. I wanted to ask her to let go, but I couldn't. What is this strangeness I'm feeling?

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**Rin's POV**

I quickly let go of Len once I realized what I was doing. Nobles like him probably aren't used to being hugged. Along with that, my face was a bright red. I had hugged guys plenty of times though, so I'm not sure why I'm blushing.

"Why don't you go see Kaito?" I offered, as the redness on my face slowly disappeared. "He can teach you to use that thing better than me. He's a great teacher." I spoke from experience. Kaito taught me most of what I know about how to use a sword, even though I'm a tad better at fighting.

Len nodded, and headed off in the direction of Kaito's house. I giggled a bit. Len was so stiff and showed little emotion. He was like a little kid in a new place, too afraid to show what he's feeling. I'm sure he'll open up a bit once he gets used to being here.

"You can go back if you want," I said, turning towards Gakupo. "Luka is probably looking for you anyways." Gakupo's face turned a deep red, and I laughed loudly. He grumbled something, and headed away. It's so easy to bug him.

I headed back inside, and grabbed my own sword and decided to have a bit of practice. Behind my house, I set up a small hay bale with some markings to practice aim. It was no high class training ground, but it worked well for me.

I thrust my sword into the hay with a hard push. It went through effortlessly. It was easy enough to defeat a hay bale, but an actual person would be much harder. That was one of the things I feared most about the rebellion we had planned.

I don't think I could attack a person. If I injured, or even killed someone, I don't think I could ever forgive myself. The prince might be the only exception to that, though. I wouldn't mind slicing him into pieces. And after all, if the prince wasn't removed from his throne, what's the point of a rebellion?

I thought about all the people that the prince had wronged. So many had suffered at his whim. Not just my friends, but many others who I will probably never meet. It's unfair that the prince ruined so many lives. If I ever get the chance, I'll have to kill him, for my friends, and for everyone else.

And for Len, a voice said in the back of my mind. I felt my cheeks turn a bit red. Yes, I wanted to do it for Len too. I suspect that the prince attacked Len's family, since they were nobility, and Len was behind after the destruction. He's still probably in shock from what happened, and that's why he appears cold-hearted.

But despite his seriousness, I always feel happy around him. His presence brings joy, like when I was with Rinto. I haven't felt this kind of happiness since I've been with Rinto. I'm not sure why, but I want Len to open up to me. I'd like to become good friends, but that might take a while. But I'm willing to wait, but I have to ask. What is this happiness I keep feeling?

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	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for not updating last week! My mom took the laptop with her on a short trip and I had nothing to write with. I also apologize for this chapter being completely in Rin's POV. I promise next chapter there will be much more Len.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter. I really appreciate the feedback :)**

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**Rin's POV**

The next morning I woke up extra early so that I could wake up Len. Kaito wanted to start training him right away. I have the feeling that Kaito is eager to put our plan against the prince into action soon. We've gathered enough people with Len included.

"Len, wake up!" I yelled, as I pushed the blonde boy sleeping in bed. He didn't make a sound. With a sigh, I gave him a good push, and shoved him out of the bed. He's only been here for a few days, and he acts like he's in his own home. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

"What the heck?" Len shouted as he hit the ground. He sat up, rubbing his head, and glared at me. I gave a small giggle, and helped him stand up.

"Kaito wants you to start training," I explained. "You better go now." Len grumbled something about how early it was, but said nothing more. He walked out the door and down to the kitchen. I had put some bread out for him, and he quickly picked it up.

After shoving it into his mouth, Len grabbed his sword which he had set in the corner of the room. He was about to leave without even saying goodbye.

"Bye!" I yelled right before he walked out the door. "Have fun!" For a moment, Len's face lightened up a bit. He gave a quick wave, and then left. I guess that counts as warming up a bit. A few days ago, he would've just scowled at me.

I cleaned off Len's plate and put it away. I began to think about what I was going to do today. I needed to pick up some things from a nearby town. I walked outside, and realized how early it was. The sun was not even close to being out. I stepped back inside and decided that it couldn't hurt to sleep for a few extra hours.

After a short nap, I woke up again. The sun was just starting to shine, and most people in the village would be waking up. I went outside and straight to Miku's house.

No one was outside, so I knocked on the door loudly. Mikuo opened the door with a happy face.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, politely. I smiled in response. Mikuo always tries to be smooth around girls.

"I'm going to do some shopping in the next village over, and was wondering if Miku wanted to come along," I said. "I promise we'll be back before tomorrow. It should just be a short trip." Mikuo thought to himself for a minute. He's very protective of Miku.

"Sure," he smiled. "I trust her with you; just make sure you bring your sword." I nodded, and Mikuo left to go grab Miku. Miku came to the door a few minutes later, in one of those cute dresses that she made.

"I'm ready," she smiled.

"Great," I replied. "I'll have to grab a horse, and then we can head off."

"Miku, could you buy some leeks while you're out?" Mikuo asked, before we left. "The ones you're growing aren't done yet, but I'd like some for dinner." Miku happily agreed, and then the two of us went off to the town stables.

When we arrived, I noticed the horse that I found when I met Len was there. She was in good condition (Yes, I've decided it's a she and her name will be Josephine). Josephine was certainly big enough and strong enough to carry both Miku and me.

We hopped on, and I yelled for Josephine to go. She responded quickly to her new name, like it was the name she had all her life. We rode off into the forest to a nearby village that was only two hours away on horseback.

"How's that housemate of yours?" Miku asked, as we road. "He's kinda cute."

"Len's doing fine," I said. "He's still acting a bit moody, but he's better than before. Kaito's teaching him how to swordfight today," I added, like a proud parent.

"He's going to be with Kaito?" Miku said. "He sure is lucky. I wish I could spend more time with Kaito. I hardly see him since he's been so busy lately." I couldn't help but laugh a little. Kaito and Miku don't know that they both like each other.

"I think if you asked to spend time with him, he'd happily agree," I advised Miku. She gave me a happy smile, and agreed to try that soon.

Within about a half an hour more of riding, we had arrived in a small village near a lake. It had a good fish market and also lots of crops that we had a hard time growing back home. After all, Gumi can only grow so much to support everyone.

I dismounted and helped Miku get off of Josephine. We stopped near a small pond, only a five minute walk from the village. Josephine would wait here since the village didn't have any stables for her to wait in.

"You behave, okay?" I smiled, as I stroked Josephine's head. She gave a whinny to show that she understood. With a laugh, Miku and I headed towards the village.

When we entered the main road, I was amazed at how many people were out shopping. People filled the streets and flooded the shops. Usually, it was quieter. Shouts yelled from every corner.

"Fresh fish!" someone yelled to the right. "For a low price!" Immediately people ran over to find a good bargain. I grabbed Miku's hand and tried to navigate through the thick crowd. Eventually we came out near the end of the main road, and things were a bit quieter.

"I know a good person for vegetables and fish," I explained. "She has a stall near the lake." Miku and I walked along the houses, until the lake came into view. Surrounding it was another marketplace, but it was much smaller than the main one in town. Fewer people were walking around, but they were obviously much richer than most.

It was a sign that only high quality items were sold here. There were some jewelers selling goods, and people known for good food. There was even someone who sold exotic spices that only the prince normally got to have.

"This weather is dreary," a woman wearing a white dress said, as she walked beside me. She held a fan to her face, and looked absolutely miserable. Her blonde hair was curly and put into a high bun, and her face was covered in makeup. "Why did you make me travel out here?" she complained.

"It's good for you, Ann," the tall man beside her sighed, as he put some tomatoes into a basket he was carrying. "And you always complain about the ingredients in your dinner, so now you'll help choose them." The rich woman gave a groan, and waved her fan. Miku and I laughed at her a bit. She looked like a puffed up swan, especially when she made that groaning noise.

"There's the stall!" I said, pointing out a small stall with a woman working behind it. It had a small sign advertising vegetables, and was decorated with a bit of paint. The woman working had just finished selling a young man some fish.

"Luo!" I said, with a smile. The woman turned to me and gave a small.

"Rin, it's been so long!" she said in reply. Her voice had a slight accent, since she isn't from this country. Luo is from China, but traveled here a few years ago to live on her own.

"Luo, this is Miku," I said, introducing my companion. The two of them exchanged smiles. Then Miku's eyes wandered towards a basket of leeks sitting on the stall.

"Can we get some of those for Mikuo?" Miku asked, excited. "They look delicious." Only Miku and her brother would find those delicious. Luo grabbed the basket of leeks and handed it to me.

"You can take them all if you'd like," she said. "Leeks aren't a big seller. People prefer fish over vegetables, and leeks are cheap to grow." I thanked Luo for the leeks, and asked if she had any fish that she could sell for a low price.

"Here's a nice tuna," Luo said, pulling a large fish from behind the counter. "I helped catch it just yesterday. It's very fresh and would be enough to feed half of that small village of yours."

"I'll take it!" I said with a smile. "It'll be good for some of Luka's soup." Luo wrapped the fish in some loose paper and handed it to me. That was all we needed from Luo, so I decided it was time to leave.

"I think I have everything I need to bake this week, so we shouldn't need to get eggs or anything," I said. "Can you think of anything else we're missing?"

"I saw a stand selling exotic fruits," Miku said. "Could we get some of those?"

"I don't know," I replied, hesitantly. "It sounds good, but fruit is usually expensive."

"I have some extra money from Mikuo!" Miku said.

"I suppose we could look," I smiled. Miku and I walked back to the main road, and spotted the stand that Miku had been talking about. The man was selling fruits from all over the world.

"Would you pretty ladies like to try something sweet?" he asked. He pulled out two slices of a fruit with orange flesh. Miku and I eagerly took the slices and ate them. It was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. So sweet and juicy. It was one of the most amazing foods I had ever tried.

"What is this?" I asked.

"An orange from the warmer parts of the country," he smiled. "Not incredibly rare, but sometimes hard to find here up North."

"We'll have two," Miku said, grabbing some money from her pockets. The man handed two oranges to us, and put the money in his pocket.

"Thank you for your business," he smiled. Miku nodded, and the two of us walked off. We were about to leave town when I saw a strange poster on the edge of a building.

I walked closer and looked at the words on the poster. It had an announcement on it from the palace.

**IF ANY HAS SEEN THE MISSING PRINCE, PLEASE SEND WORD TO THE PALACE IMMEDIATLY. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE PRINCE'S WHEREABOUTS WILL BE AMPLY REWARDED. IF THE PRINCE IS RETURNED ALIVE, THE REWARD WILL BE DOUBLED. **

"The prince is missing!?" I shouted in confusion. "This will mess up Kaito's advancement of the plan!" Miku looked at me nervously.

"We should tell Kaito," she said. "He'll want to know about this."

"If the prince is out running around, that means there are guards out after him," I worried. "If the guards find the village, we're done for."

"Then we should get going," Miku said. I nodded, and the two of us threw our oranges into my basket and ran to Josephine. The sun was still in the sky, but looked like it would be setting soon.

The two of us hopped on, and I handed Miku the basket to hold. Josephine started to run towards home, with me coaxing her to go faster.

"I wonder how long that notice has been up," I said, as we rode. "The palace guards could be really close to the village and we wouldn't even know it."

"You should ask Len," Miku suggested. "A rich boy like him would have known about the prince's disappearance from his servants or something. If he doesn't know anything about it, then we know that the notice could only be a week old at most. Len's only been here about a week, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'll ask him after we alert Kaito."

"But what will we do after we tell Kaito?" Miku asked. "It's not like the entire village can go into hiding."

"We'll just have to hope that the prince gets found before we do," I sighed.

"Here's an idea though," Miku said. "What if we found the prince?"

"The prince could be anywhere in the entire country or even out of the country," I replied. "The chances of him being in this area are slim, and besides we would have to get rid of him somehow."

"But then all our problems would be solved," Miku smiled. "We wouldn't have to worry about the palace guards or even the plan anymore."

"We'd just have to worry about the death penalty for killing the prince," I reminded her. "No one's going to kill anyone unless it's a part of the plan. That'll ensure that no one gets in too much trouble." Miku sighed in understanding. It was too risky to do anything without lots of planning. And besides, the chances of the prince even being near here are next to impossible.

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**Please Review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Finally, I updated this story. I know it's been a few months, but I was so bust with track and school. There just wasn't any time for writing. But don't worry, summer is coming, and though I have extra classes during the summer, I will be updating more frequently. This story will be finished and I'll be working on my other story, Mission of Love too. I will also be working on some one-shots occasionally based off songs. If there's a song you want me to write about PM me. One-shots will be based on requests.  
**

**Again, I apologize for the very late update. I hope you don't lose faith in this story. So, please enjoy this chapter. **

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**Rin's POV**

I urged Josephine to run faster and faster. Miku and I needed to return to the village immediately. My greatest fear now was that we would be exposed. What would happen to our precious village, the place that is now my home? The prince has already ruined my life once before, and I will not let him do it again.

The ride back to village seemed to be double the time it took to get there. The sun had now almost disappeared, and the faint outline of the moon could be seen in the sky. After what seemed like hours, we had finally arrived in the village. It seemed empty, because everyone was probably getting ready for bed. I jumped off of Josephine, and pulled Miku along with me. The two of us sprinted to Kaito's house as fast as we could.

When we arrived, I knocked on his door loudly. There was no response. I started to get nervous. What if the guards had already come when we were gone? What if they had taken everyone to prison? I knocked on the door even louder and began to shout.

"Kaito! Kaito!" I yelled. Miku began to start pounding on the door too. She was just as nervous as me. When we were about to give up hope, a tired looking Kaito answered the door. His hair was a mess, and it looked like we had woken him up from a deep sleep.

"What the heck are you girls doing?" Kaito complained. "I was trying to get some extra sleep. Training Len isn't that easy you know. That kid really sucks at fighting…" Kaito trailed off, grumbling about how unsuccessful the day had been.

"The prince is gone!" I cried, interrupting Kaito's story. His face suddenly was full of alarm. His tired look had disappeared and his full attention was focused on me.

"What do you mean?" he asked with concern.

"I mean he's disappeared," I explained. "There are dozens of wanted posters in the next town. Rebels and palace guards are out looking for him. It could ruin the entire plan or worse. We could all get caught and the guards will arrest us!"

"Calm down," Kaito said trying to calm me. He turned to Miku, who was still keeping a cool head at this time. "Is this all true?" he asked. Miku nodded, with a sad frown on her face. Kaito pursed his lips and gave a sigh.

"This throws everything for a loop," he said, biting his lip. "I guess we'll have to postpone everything until the prince is recovered. We can't risk getting caught now." My heart sank. Though waiting the situation out was safer, I wasn't content with waiting any longer. I had been waiting long enough already. I wanted the prince gone, and more importantly I wanted my brother back.

"Why don't you to go home and sleep?" Kaito suggested. "We can talk about this in the morning with everyone. I'm sure they'll have some ideas of what we can do." Miku and I agreed, since we were both feeling a bit tired. Kaito offered to let Miku sleep at his house, but she sadly declined, knowing that Mikuo would bite her head off if she did.

I walked back home, my eyelids droopy. It had been a rather long and stressful day, and I didn't even get to practice much. I opened the door to my small home, and was surprised to see Len there, sitting like an obedient dog. That's strange. I had expected that he would be getting ready for bed by now. From what Kaito described, it had been a long day for the both of them.

"Um, hello?" I said to Len, as I closed the door. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" Len said nothing. He continued to sit there, and I could tell he was deep in thought. I wonder what he could be thinking about. Though I was tired, I felt bad just going to sleep. I'm sure Len must have a bit lonely today, considering he spent all his time with Kaito.

"How was practicing?" I asked. I grabbed myself a slice of bread, along with my orange from earlier and sat next to Len. That seemed to get his attention. His face turned a bit red.

"It's none of your business," he said, defensively. I giggled at his embarrassment. How bad could he be? Wouldn't nobles like him have some sort of training for these kinds of things? Or maybe he was one of those nobles who sat around and did nothing all day? The latter did seem to fit Len's personality better.

"You should get some sleep," I reminded him. "You get to do it all again in the morning, plus everyone is getting together to discuss some…err… important matters." I wasn't sure whether or not I should tell Len about what I saw today. It could make him uneasy, especially with all the stress he has been under lately.

"What kind of matters?" he asked. "Not that I care though," he added immediately. I sighed at his response. I understand that he's been had a tough week, but his attitude hasn't gotten any better. I hope that soon he becomes comfortable enough around me where he afraid to say what he's really thinking. He's too caught up in appearances.

"I'll tell you in the morning," I yawned. "But I'm not kidding," I added sternly, just like a mother would. "You need to get to sleep." Len rolled his eyes, but stood up to head to bed. As he walked past, he tried to look annoyed, but his face had a faint smile. Maybe he was warming up to me more than I thought. When Len disappeared upstairs, I decided to go to sleep too. I was nervous about what would happen in the morning.

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_THE NEXT MORNING_

Someone was tapping me on my head. It wasn't a soft tap either. It was more of a hard poke. Someone was trying to wake me up. "Rin!" a voice yelled loudly into my year. I jumped up and fell out of the small chair that I had fallen asleep in.

Len was standing there with a satisfied smile. "It took you a while to wake up," he said sadistically. "Kaito is calling everyone outside. He wants to talk about that thing you mentioned before." Len walked outside, leaving me alone. Though I was a bit annoyed, I was happy that Len was comfortable enough to joke with me. The thought of that made my cheeks redden.

Knowing that Kaito's announcement was important, I decided not to change clothes. I just walked outside to the town's center. Everyone was gathered there. Luka and Gakupo stood near each other, looking concerned. Meiko was grabbing tightly to Kiyoteru. It was obvious she had a bit too much to drink last night. Miku was holding Oliver and Yuki close to her. Gumi even skipped working in the fields this morning to hear Kaito's announcement.

Kaito stood in the center of it all with a nervous expression. He cleared his throat loudly, and all nervous chatter instantly stopped. Kaito looked at everyone, and began to speak. "I have important news for you all…"

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**Len's POV**

Kaito's face was very serious. It reminded me of Dell's when he had me flee the castle. I knew that something terrible must have happened. I knew that he was going to be talking about what Rin had hinted on last night.

"I have important news for you all…" Kaito started. Well, of course. Why else would we all be here if it wasn't? "It's some news about the prince," Kaito resumed.

My entire body tensed up. They were talking about me. What about me? Where they planning on killing me? Did they find out my identity? A new sense of fear coursed through my body. It was worse than on the night I had to run away. Here, there was no chance of escaping. Though this people were nice, they claimed that I had ruined their lives and they were hungry for revenge.

"The prince has been reported missing," Kaito said. "That means the guards are searching the country, looking for him. Our village is in danger. If we are found out, we could all be arrested. No one is safe, so we have to take extra precautions from now on."

I breathed a sigh of relief. So they didn't know about me, but there was a bigger problem. What would happen if the guards found me? Though I was cursed to be emotionless, I felt like I had started to grow attached to these people, especially Rin. I think that even a great prince like me would feel guilty if she was locked up.

But why were the guards searching for me? Was it safe to return home? Was this how Dell planned on contacting me? I thought he would come for me personally, but maybe he won't. I'm not sure that I want to leave. I've only been here for a week, but I feel better here than at the palace.

The nervous chatter started again. Everyone was in a panic over what to do. Everything they had worked for over the past few years was in jeopardy. They could lose their friends, family, and the life that they had all come together to create.

There was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't identify it, but it fell terrible. I wanted to throw up. Did I eat something funny? I found Rin in the crowd, hoping she could maybe help me feel better.

When I found her, her face was buried in worry. She was looking up towards the sky, almost praying for help. The feeling in my stomach got ten times worse. I couldn't handle it. My head started to hurt, and I fell down onto my knees. What was this?

Rin turned to me, and shouted out, "Len!" She threw her arms around me to prevent me from falling over completely. I gave a groan. Rin called out to Luka to grab some medicine and come back immediately. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Luka run off.

Everyone had gathered around me now. The news about my disappearance had become less important to them. They fact that I was in pain was a greater dilemma. Everyone looked at me nervously and tried to find things to help. My stomach hurt more, and I became dizzy. I didn't think I could stay conscious any longer.

"Len, stay with me," Rin whispered, as she held me up. She tried to remain clam for my sake. Though I was in severe pain, I noticed that her face was really beautiful. Why had I never noticed it before? I tried to nod in response to her, but I couldn't keep myself awake any longer.

I felt my body go limp, and my eyes closed. I passed out, and all I heard where the shouts of everyone around me. One scream in particular stood out among the rest. Rin had yelled the loudest of everyone. Her shout was full of terror and concern.

Why, I wondered before even my mind switched off for a while. Why do you care so much? Don't you know that it will only hurt you in the end? And with those final thoughts, I lost all consciousness and found myself asleep in darkness.

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**Please Review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

I had to type this entire chapter from my ipod because my home computer broke, so my parents have been using the laptop which I normally type my stories on. If there are any spelling or grammar errors, it's for that reason.

Thanks to everyone who reviews this story after I updated after many weeks. Please enjoy this chapter.

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**Len's POV**

When I finally woke up again, I felt someone place a cool rag on my forehead. I noticed that I was lying in my bed back at Rin's house. Rin was hovering above me, wiping sweat from my forehead with the damp rag. She looked concerned.

"You're finally awake!" Rin exclaimes happily. "Thank goodness, you had everyone so worried." I sat up in bed, though my body still felt exhausted. I tries to pretend that I was perfectly fine. After all, a prince shouldn't appear weak before his subjects.

Rin must have noticed that I was faking because she pushed me back down. "You aren't getting up yet!" she said. "You're going to stay in bed until you are fully recovered."

"But what about lessons?" I asked, hoping that would be a good enough excuse to get up. "That can wait," Rin frowned. "I'm going to make sure that you stay in bed for at least one more day."

I gave a groan. I don't really feel like staying in this small cramped room for an entire day. I'd rather be out practicing with Kaito. "Don't worry," Rin started again. "I'll stay with you the entire day." She smiled at me and then went off to make some food

A small smile emerged on my face. I rarely ever smiled because I simply couldn't. But something was different now. I didn't have any trouble with it. I just startes doing it. I'm starting to feel like the bonds placed on me by that witch are weakening, but why? What has changed from then to now?

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**Rin's POV**

I decided that I would make a light meal for Len and then run over to Luka's to get some extra medicine. Luka had given me some herbs that were supposed to be pain relievers, but I had already given them all to Len while he slept.

I'm so worried that he could be really sick or something. With all the commotion going on, I don't know if we'll have time to treat him. But he seems to be recovering. He's back to his usual self, at least he was when I talked with him.

I chopped up some vegetables and placed them in a pot of water I had on the fire. As I cooked, my mind wandered back to my greatest worry, the prince.

There hadn't been much discussion about what to do because Len had passed out. I don't think we would have come up with a plan though. There isn't much we can do. An entire village can't go into hiding, but we can't attack because no one knows where the prince is.

I wonder why the prince was missing in the first place. He doesn't seem like the type of person who would leave his lavish and luxurious lifestyle. I heard that there have been many riots around the palace. That could be why he left.

I could smell the soup, cooking on the fire, and poured some of it into a bowl. I walked upstairs to bring it to Len. When I arrived, he was fast asleep again. With a smile, I set the bowl on the table by the bed and left.

Len's sleeping face was stuck in my mind. He looked so peaceful, very different from when we first met. He has become adjusted to living here and has started to open to me. I feel like I've started to open up to him too.

I put out the fire and then headed off to Luka's to get that extra medication. Her house was a quick walk and I was there within minutes.

Luka was waiting by the door with the extra medicine when I arrived. She had it wrapped up in a small bag. "How's he feeling?" she asked.

"Much better," I smiled. "He's already trying to get out of bed, but I'll make sure that he stays put."

"Do you know how he could have happened to him?" Luka asked. "At first, I thought it might be illness, but if the way you describe his recovery, makes me think otherwise."

I thought to myself for a moment. I couldn't think of anything that would have caused Len to collapse like he did. Maybe it was because of heat, though it wasn't that hot this morning.

"I don't know," I replied. "He's doing a lot better though, so it really isn't something we should be too worried about." Luka bit her lip in worry, and she seemes to be preoccupied by another thought.

"I should return home," I said as I thanked Luka for the medicine. "I'm sure Len will want this as soon as possible." I gave a final thank you and headed back home.

Halfway there, I was stopped by Miku, who had been taking a walk with her brother. She still appeared to be worried about the situation about the prince.

"Mikuo has been trying to come up with a way to fix the problem," she told me. "He hasn't stopped thinking about it since the announcement. I think he's worried that the guards will come and attempt to kidnap the other girls and me again."

"I'd be worried about that too," I replied. "He's just nervous because he wants to protect you."

"I can protect myself now," Miku frowned. "I'm stronger than before and could help him catch the prince, but he always tells me that I shouldn't get involved." Miku gave a sigh and looked at her brother, who had wandered ahead to talk with Gumi, who had returned from the fields.

"And besides," Miku added, her face cheering up a bit. "If I wanted anyone to protect me, I'd want it to be Kaito." Her cheeks turned red and she looked lovestruck. I gave her a smile and told her not to worry about Mikuo. I said good-bye and left to give Len the medicine.

I went back into my house and grabbed a glass. I filles it with some water from the well. I poured the herbs into the water and let it sit. It smelled quite foul, but most medicine usually does. I took the glass up to Len.

When I arrived in his room, I noticed that the soup bowl was still sitting there full. He must not have woken up yet. I'll have to wake him though, so he can take his medicine.

I leaned over to jostle him awake, when he started to mumble something. He looked pained, even though he was asleep.

"Dell... don't..." he mumbled quietly. Who's Dell? Is he someone that Len knew before he came to the village? With Len's expression, I thought that this Dell person had caused Len trouble. Len continued to mumbled as he tossed and turned in the bed.

"Don't..." Len said again. His eyes were still firmly shut. "Don't touch her... just take me." I leaned closer to Len in worry. He seemed to be having a nightmare.

"Len!" I yelled into his ear. Immediately his eyes opened, and he was suprised to see me hovering above him in bed. "Are you okay?" I asked. "You were having a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Len asked, sounding a bit confused. "I haven't had one of those in years."

"You were mumbling about someone named Dell," I explained to him. "You were begging him not to take... her and to take you instead."

Len's face turned pale. He looked slightly worried. Maybe this Dell had caused more problems for Len than I had originally believed.

"Drink this," I said, changing the subject. I handed Len the glass and he scrunched his nose at the smell. "It's awful," he frowned.

"I already had to forced you to drink someone while you slept," I confessed. "Just drink it and you'll feel better." Len reluctantly drank everything in the glass, though he looked a bit green afterwards.

"Have some of the soup too," I said, pointing at the soup bowl on the table. Len nodded and grabbed the bowl. I stood up to leave the room, when Len muttered a quiet "thank you".

My heart fluttered as I closed the door. My cheeks felt warm. Just a mere thank you had caused me to enter this state. Everything felt warm and happy. I knew what this feeling was immediately. I had seen Miku and Kaito show it to each other, and it was not a foreign feeling.

It was love, simple as that. I didn't doubt it, but I didn't question it either. In the short time I had come to know Len, his personality and attitude had won me over somehow. His manners weren't the best, but that doesn't matter. This had all happened so fast that it seemed almost hard to believe, but that's okay.

I can't worry about feelings like love though. There is a much bigger problem right now. The prince is the main priority right now, and nothing should distract my mind from that. Aside from Len's temporary accident, nothing is more important.

I pressed my hand against my heart and smiles. I was reminded of my brother. Len had filled the void that Rinto had left open when he was take away. Perhaps that is why my feelings for him developed so quickly.

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**Luka's POV**

Something about Len's sudden collapse is suspicious to me. Nothing seemed to be wrong with him until he announcement. I saw his face when Kaito announced the news. His reaction was different from everyone else.

He didn't seem to be worried or nervous, instead he seemed frightened and looked guilty. I think this triggered his collapse. Some thought that crossed his main caused his to panic and black out. But why did the announcement about the prince trigger his collapse?

Len is hiding something from us and it could be valuable information that could help us with the prince. I'd hate to think that he's hiding something, especially since Rin has grown so fond of him.

I can tell that he has filled her void, and because of that she has become very close to him. His attitude is still terrible, but Rin doesn't seem to mind. I just hope her poor heart won't be broken by a cold-hearted boy like Len.

Questions are now running through my head about Len. I'm starting to realize that the circumstances surrounding him are strange. A mysterious noble boy appears in the middle of nowhere around the time of the prince's disappearence. And he seems to become nervous at the mention of the prince? I'll have to tell my suspicions to Kaito. It would be best if he knew too since he makes all the decisions. Len knows more than he is letting on, and I want to find out what.

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I hope Rin's love for Len doesn't seem to sudden. Her love wasn't meant to be at first sight, but it was intended to develop very quickly since the gap in her life was suddenly filled.

Please Review o(^▽^)o


	9. Chapter 9

**Len's POV**

I had expected to spend most of the day stuck in bed, with Rin watching me the entire time. But somehow, I slept through the entire day. The medicine Rin gave me must have been extremely potent. I woke up feeling much better, but I felt a bit of disappointment. I was sad that I had slept through the entire day. It felt like I had missed something important, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

I slowly got out of bed. My legs were not feeling weak anymore, and I could easily stand. It felt like I had never collapsed in the first place. I wandered downstairs, and saw Rin lying on the floor asleep. The downstairs was covered in dishes and ingredients. It looked like Rin had been cooking. She was also covered in a fair amount of dirt, making me think that she did a bit of practice outside.

She was sleeping on the floor since she had no other place to sleep. I had taken her bed, and I had been sleeping there for the past week and a half. I felt another pang of pain in my stomach, like what I felt when I collapsed. Am I getting sick again?

I walked over to Rin, and lightly kicked her. She groaned, and flipped over, grabbing onto my foot. I didn't know how to react. I just stood there with her still holding onto my foot. I tried shaking it, trying to get her off. She still seemed sound asleep and didn't let go. She was holding it tightly, like how a child would hold its beloved teddy bear.

I shook my foot harder, a bit irritated that she wouldn't let go. However, I ended up kicking her in the face. Immediately, she woke up and let out a cry of pain. She let go of my foot and put her hands to her face.

"You were on my foot," I explained, thinking that would be enough explanation. Rin stood up, still holding her hands to her face. There seemed to be small tears in the corner of her eyes from the pain. I expected her to start crying, but instead she started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked, confused. I had kicked her in the face. That wasn't something people normally laughed about. Still, she was laughing, her face turning a bit pink. I started to laugh along with her, since her laugh was so infectious. It felt good. I hadn't laughed in years.

"Len, you need to learn to handle people better," Rin giggled. "You can't just kick people in the face."

"It was an accident!" I protested, my face heating up. "I didn't mean to, sorry." I frowned and tried to keep a straight face, trying to show the sincerity of my apology. My expression caused Rin to laugh even more, and through her laugh I knew that my apology was accepted.

"What's going on in here?" a voice said from outside. Leaning on the windowsill was Miku, who was also joined by Kaito. The two of them seemed to be standing awfully close to each other. Isn't it disgusting to be so close to someone? Other people are so dirty.

"Nothing!" Rin smiled, in reply to Miku's question. "Len was just waking me up." She skipped over to the window to talk with Miku and Kaito.

"What are you two doing here?" Rin asked. "It's not like Miku to wake up so early in the morning. She can be such a grouch." Miku's face turned red, and she quickly turned to Kaito, explaining that Rin was lying. Kaito only laughed, which caused Miku to turn even redder.

"Anyways," Miku started, trying to regain her composure. "We came over to tell you about a special party the town is having tonight. Everyone has been in a panic after hearing about the prince. We thought it would be a good idea to lighten up everyone's mood."

"A party!" Rin exclaimed. "We haven't had one of those in a long time."

"Yep!" Miku smiled. "And you're going to spend the day with me, so we can get ready." Miku ran around the house to the door. She quickly opened it and ran inside. She grabbed Rin's hand and pulled her away. The two of them ran off to who knows where.

"You and I get to spend the day together," Kaito said, as he walked into the house too. "But we aren't going to waste the day away like the girls. We have work to do." Kaito pulled a sword out from nowhere and threw it at me. I caught it, but it still felt heavy. It wasn't my sword, so of course it felt heavy. But I still wish that I could handle it better.

I handed Kaito his sword back, and went to grab mine. I was starting to become adjusted to Kaito's practices. My endurance was getting better, and my skills were better, though they were nowhere near as good as Kaito's. However, I'm not too concerned about my sword fighting skills. A prince like me has people to do that for me, but for now I need to learn how to protect myself just a little bit. In case, everyone turns on me if they find out I'm the prince.

I followed Kaito to our normal practice spot. It was an area by a small lake, surrounded by trees. It was shady and cool, which made it great on hot days. As punishment for doing bad, sometimes Kaito made me swim in the lake.

"Are you ready?" Kaito asked, as he held his sword firmly in the air. "I won't hold back." I nodded, and held up my sword too. He lunged at me, running at a frightening speed. I quickly tried to get out of the way, and was successful, but Kaito's sword scraped my cheek, creating a cut.

The cut stung, but if I let something like that stop the fight, I would die immediately. Even a prince like me should be able to handle more than a little cut. While Kaito was turning around to come at me again, I swung my sword back.

It collided with his and made a loud clanging sound. Each of us tried to get a swing at each other, trying to hit our weak spots. I knew for Kaito, it was his back. He couldn't turn around as fast as he wanted, and left an opening for himself. My weakness was my head. My reflexes were too slow, and I couldn't duck fast enough. Kaito could easily swing his sword around, and hit me right in the head.

Our sword fights continued like this for 20 minutes or until we were both tired. Kaito could fight for much longer than me, but even he got tired easily in the heat. After a practice fight, Kaito would help me fix any problems with my form. These little things he fixed were supposed to help me become a more efficient and deadly fighter.

"No!" Kaito shouted. "You have to hold the sword higher; otherwise you'll miss the target." Kaito was a tough teacher. He wasn't afraid to yell or punish me. It irritated me sometimes, since I should be the one telling others what to do, but sometimes I was grateful for it. He was trying to make sure that I could protect myself. I felt a sense of gratitude to Kaito, which I had never felt towards anyone else in the past.

After a few hours of training and a harsh swim in the lake, Kaito declared that practice was over. The two of us collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. We laid there for a while, trying to regain some of our lost energy.

"Did you ever think of going home," Kaito asked, suddenly, as the two of us looked into the clouds. "You've been here for a while, but you've never mentioned anything about it."

"Home… it's not the best place for me to be right now," I said, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

"But don't you have someone to go back to?" Kaito asked. "A place where you're welcome and people want to see you." I almost laughed. At the palace, I bet people were still rioting in the streets causing problems. Protesting about foolish things that don't even matter. They certainly didn't want me back.

"All I have is my cousin," I confessed. "He's really all I have at home. There are servants and butlers, but they don't seem to care too much. That's never bothered me though."

"You're lucky," Kaito sighed. "That's more than any of us have. Our families and friends have been completely destroyed by the prince. My parents were taken, though they didn't love me much. Still, I was left alone. Rin lost her brother. Oliver and Yuki lost their parents, and so many others have suffered. Yeah, you're lucky alright.

For a moment, there was silence. Was I lucky? I did have more than everyone else. I had Dell and at least I had others who would pretend to like me. I didn't have to live a harsh life like everyone in this village did. I didn't have to worry about my safety or how I would support others. Maybe I was lucky.

But all this pain that everyone has suffered. Is it really all because of me? Is this all my fault? All the things Kaito speaks about, I don't even remember doing all of it, but I must have. Who else could have done it? To think about the terrible things I did to everyone makes that sick feeling come back to me.

"Let's not think about all this crap," Kaito said, sitting up. "Sorry I brought it up. We shouldn't dwell on the bad things, but think about everything we have now. I mean, without the prince I would have never met Miku." Kaito's eyes turned distant and his face turned a bit red.

"That's beside the point though," Kaito said. "Let's focus on the party later. We are all in need of some fun, right? Let's get ready. Clean up a bit, and maybe get a change of clothes." Kaito stuck out his hand, and helped me stand up. He seemed excited for the party later, and I felt a bit of excitement too.

**Rin's POV**

"Miku, is this really worth all the trouble?" I asked. "It's just a small party to have some fun. It isn't a fancy ball or anything."

"It doesn't matter," Miku frowned. "A party is a party and I'm not letting an opportunity like this go. This is a chance to where a nice dress and impress Kaito. He might even dance with me," Miku added dreamily.

"Dancing?" I asked. "Yes," Miku nodded. "There'll be music and everything. Kiyoteru will play his fancy instrument, and Gumi will play her fiddle. That'll be enough. Even if it isn't the same time of music that prince gets, it's enough for me!"

"Can you even dance?" I asked. Miku nodded, and pulled out a dress from her small closet. It was simple, nothing fancy, but it would be enough to impress Kaito. It was a light blue. I wonder where she got the fabric for that? I don't remember buying anything like that from the market place.

"There's one for you too!" Miku exclaimed, pulling out another dress. It was yellow and very beautiful. The stitching looked like Miku's, but I still wondered where she got all this fabric. "Where did you get the stuff to make these?" I asked. I held the dress carefully, admiring it. I hadn't been able to where a dress since Rinto was taken away. Dresses were impractical and were hard to run in. They were a foolish thing to where in battle.

"I sent Mikuo out to get supplies some time ago, just for emergencies like this," Miku smiled. "Besides, what does it matter? We just need to enjoy tonight. We don't get fun like this often. We're always so focused on revenge and all that. It's kind of sad."

"I suppose your right," I sighed. It was sad that we were devoting our lives to overthrowing the prince, but what else could we do. It was the only way I could get Rinto back. That was worth all the hardships we had gone through.

"Now let's clean up," Miku said. "The party will be starting a few hours before sunset. That doesn't give us much time to get ready." Miku showed me to a bucket of water to wash my hands in. I glanced at my reflection in the water. My face was a bit dirty, and my hair was a mess. I remember a time when I could care about appearances. Rinto would always help me fix my bow, and made sure I looked tidy.

Now I was on my own, and I didn't have time to care about appearances. There were people to feed and work to do. It was all more important, though sometimes I wish I didn't have to live like this. Though I hate the prince, I envy him. He gets to live life to its fullest, not ever having to worry about anything.

That is a life that everyone would like to live, but only people like him can. I took another look at the dress Miku had made for me and smiled. Tonight was a night to indulge and forget our problems. Perhaps I could use a break. I plunged my hands into bucket, and splashed water on my face. The dirt came off, and I saw specks of it in the bucket.

My face looked cleaner and in the reflection, I could see my smiling face. I was excited. This would be a night of fun that we wouldn't get for a long time. I couldn't wait to enjoy it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dell's POV**

_Earlier that morning…_

"Sir, what would you like us to do?" one of the guards asked. "All the men are awaiting your command." A devious smile spread across my face. Today would be a day to celebrate; the day where all my hard work and plans over the past years would become worthwhile. Today, I would finally destroy that little brat of a prince.

"Give the command and send out the men," I told the guard. "I'll accompany you. I can't wait to see the poor prince's face when I arrive. I'll be his savior, which will make his death all the more satisfying." The guard nodded and ran off to prepare the rest. He didn't object, which didn't surprise me. Most of the guards detested the prince and they are very supportive of my plan.

I stood up, and headed towards the stables to prepare my horse. As I went, I walked through the throne room, where a large, elegant throne sat empty. Soon it would be mine. I could taste the power already. My taking of the throne would become a celebration throughout the kingdom. The peasants would celebrate the death of the prince who had wronged them so many times. How stupid they are, really.

It was so easy to fool them into believing that the prince was the cause of all their suffering. The taxes, the kidnappings of beautiful women and all the arrests were things that the prince would be too stupid to think of. Of course, I was the mastermind behind all of the hate. It's all been a part of my plan to get rid of the prince, and so far it had gone perfectly.

I let my horse out of the stables and got onto it. In front of the castle, I saw the guards sitting ready on their horses. I hadn't brought the entire guard staff. That would be a little too much. Only my most trusted would accompany me. Surrounding the guards was a mass of people, wondering why the guards were outside. The guards only came out in extreme circumstances.

My horse trotted over and stood in front of the guards. The peasants looked up and gawked. "People of this fine kingdom," I announced. "Today will be a day of change. Today we will rid ourselves of the prince." The people immediately burst into yells of happiness. Some ran off to tell their families, others cried in the streets from happiness. How predictable. I gave the crowd a smile and the guards and I set off.

"Where do we go?" the captain of the guards asked me. "Just follow me," I said. "If things went according to my plans, I know exactly where the prince is."

**Luka's POV**

The town was full of excitement as everyone was getting ready for the party. However, I could not let myself sit idly with so many questions on my mind. Outside my window, I could see Len and Kaito practicing. It looked like they were almost finished. They had cleaned up their stuff and now where heading to Kaito's to prepare for the celebration.

I quickly ran out of the house, towards them. "Excuse me!" I shouted. The two looked up at me in surprise. I came over and grabbed Len's hand. "Excuse me, but I really need to talk to Len. It's urgent business." Both Len and Kaito looked very confused.

"Sorry, Luka," Kaito apologized. "But we were going to get ready, so we don't really have time right now. I have to help Len get ready, and I'm guessing that he's hopeless when it comes to impressing the ladies." Len looked down at his feet, his face a bit red.

"It's really important though," I reiterated.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready too?" Kaito asked, completely ignoring me. "Gakupo will be disappointed if you don't look great tonight." It was my turn to turn red-faced. I gave Kaito a glare and walked away angrily. That man is so stubborn sometimes. If only he knew about my concerns, maybe he wouldn't ignore me. I bet he's too preoccupied thinking about Miku and the party tonight. I swear, the man has a one-track mind. I just hope not speaking out will not come back to bite us later.

**Len's POV**

I was worried about what Luka had to talk to me about. She seemed to think it was very important, but of course Kaito ignored her. He can be ignorant like that sometimes. I continued to follow Kaito until we arrived at his house. He let me inside, and took me up to a small room, which I assumed was his bedroom.

"So, I don't have any super fancy clothes like you're probably used to," Kaito explained. "I've got whatever Miku's made for me in the past." Kaito brought out a few pieces of clothing. He was right. They were nothing like the clothes I had to wear at the castle whenever there was a special occasion.

"Miku really will do anything for you, won't she?" I asked. Kaito's face turned red, and he made it so clear that he loved her. Even an emotionless guy like me can figure out the simple things like that. Kaito threw some clothes at me, with an irritated look. "Just try it on," he said.

I put on the clothes and to my surprise they fit really well. I couldn't see how I looked because there was no mirror, but I assumed that I looked quite good. Kaito nodded in approval and changed into some clothes himself. By this time, it was about mid-day and the party would start a little bit before night time.

Outside Kaito's window, I could see people preparing. Gumi had set up some makeshift tables and was setting down some food that she had grown. The two little kids, Oliver and Yuki, were running around happily, spreading some quickly made decorations everywhere. The atmosphere was happy and it was unlike anything that I had experienced back home.

"Should we go help out?" Kaito suggested. I nodded, and the two of us headed outside to assist everyone in setting up the celebration.

After another hour of setting up, it was time for the party to being. Everyone came out of their homes dressed in their nicest clothing. To them, a party was a reason to go all out because they never got to have them often. Everyone was gathered in the town center which was decorated with lots of flowers. Different people took turns playing music with some old instruments they had. Kiyoteru started by playing a violin, which I remembered he always played when he worked at the castle.

Luka came out with Gakupo and the two of them were sticking close together. Luka seemed to be a lot more light-hearted than she was earlier. Mikuo arrived a bit after and passed by us. He gave Kaito a glare, warning him to back off of his sister. Then he ran off to go dance with Gumi. The three girls I had met a while ago were hanging out together. I think their names were Neru, Haku and Teto.

Kaito and I waited around for a minute, waiting. I knew that Kaito was expecting Miku to arrive, and I had nothing better to do than wait with him. The two of us waited for a few more minutes when Rin and Miku arrived together. I gasped when I saw the both of them.

Despite not having any fancy clothes or make-up, the two managed to make themselves look beautiful. The dresses they had on seemed to have been hand-made, but that didn't make them any less beautiful. The two walked over here, and both my face and Kaito's turned red. My stomach felt fluttery, and I cursed underneath my breath. Why did I feel so funny again?

"Hello," Rin smiled, as she walked up to me. She looked even prettier up close. "You look nice," I complimented. She smiled and turned a bit red. "Would you like to dance a bit?" she asked. "The song Kiyoteru is playing is really pretty." I nodded, and she took my hand and pulled me towards the center of the square.

Many other couples were dancing in the center too. Rin began to dance and I tried to go along with her. I was never really taught how to dance at the palace. It was never one of Dell's main concerns for me, especially since I was invited to many parties.

Rin and I danced, both of us laughing. We tried to dance more of an elegant dance, but were failing. Neither of us knew the steps to the dance and looked like fools, but it was fun. This moment felt better than any other before. I felt what I knew was happiness. I had never really felt it before, but I knew exactly what it was. At the time, it didn't even cross my mind that I shouldn't have been able to feel happy.

Rin and I continued to laugh and dance around the square. Everyone else around us was doing the same. We were simply enjoying ourselves for this one moment. Nothing could ruin it. Everyone's thoughts about me and the guards disappeared into nothing for a little while.

After a bit of dancing, Rin and I stopped, feeling a bit tired. We walked over to a small table with some snacks that people had made. "That was a lot of fun," Rin smiled. "I've never danced like that before."

"Neither have I!" I said. "Truthfully, I've never danced before." The two of us stood there, smiling like fools. It was a perfect moment and nothing was wrong. I turned to Rin, and noticed that her face was really red. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"There's something that I've been thinking of telling you," Rin said calmly. "It might sound a little crazy and far-fetched, but I want you to know that it's completely true." I nodded, listening intently. Rin took a deep breath and looked up at me. "Len, I…"

Suddenly, there was a loud yell and both Rin and I looked up to see what the commotion was. In the center of the square was a bunch of horses, all with guards on them. And in the front was Dell sitting proudly on his horse. My fear this whole time had just come true.

"Attention, everyone!" Dell boomed, making himself known to all who didn't realize that he was there. "I apologize for interrupting your celebration, but I have come to retrieve our missing prince."

"The prince?" Rin said, concerned. "What do you mean?" she asked, pointing her question at Dell. He smiled and got off his horse and walked over.

"I've come to retrieve the prince," Dell smiled. "It means exactly how it sounds. I've come to get him." Dell stuck out his finger and pointed at me. Rin's face turned white, as she slowly backed away from me.

"You're lying, right?" she asked Dell in horror. "This is a joke. Right, Len?" She turned to me, and the expression her face made me want to cry. She looked so frightened. I bit my lip, and gave a sigh. However, I said no words.

By now, everyone had gathered and whispers were among the crowd. Everyone looked alarmed and in disbelief, Luka especially. Dell suddenly grabbed my hand and commanded me to get onto a horse. I didn't want to go, but I felt everyone's gaze stay on me. I knew now that I was not welcomed. Everyone had realized that I was the reason their lives had turned to hell, and I would not be forgiven.

I slowly walked over and got onto Dell's horse, trying to ignore everyone looking at me. "Traitor!" someone yelled out in the crowd. I recognized the voice as Kaito's. One of the only friends I had ever had instantly hated me. More people began to cry out and I recognized all their voices. "Disgusting! Traitorous! Someone get him out of here!" people shouted. Even little Yuki and Oliver seemed to look up at me in disgust. Even they knew that I had caused them harm in their lives.

"Thank you all for taking care of the prince while he was away," Dell smiled. "As a reward, I will not let out that this secret village exists. You all can continue to live here as you did before. Good night to all of you."

I looked up from the horse and looked towards Rin who had collapsed onto the ground, almost in tears. I felt like crying too. The greatest person that I had ever met was going to disappear. I bet she hated me now. Her eyes met mine, but hers weren't full of hatred like everyone else's. Instead, they seemed sad.

I quickly looked away, not being able to handle the sick feeling in my stomach. Dell gave the command to have the guards escort me back to the castle. In my mind, I gave a silent good-bye to everyone, knowing that I was hated by all of them.

**Dell's POV**

The guards disappeared, leaving the peasants, my horse and me. They all looked to be in dismay. It seems that the prince had not let on that he was royalty at all. The one girl in the corner that he had been talking to seemed to be the most devastated out of all of them.

"You all seem to be a bit distraught," I said, almost taunting them. "I can't believe that bastard tricked us all," a blue-haired man yelled out. A young woman ran over to him, trying to calm the fuming man down. Another man, who appeared to be the woman's brother, was beside them, equally angry.

It was clear to me that all these people had some grudge against the prince. It seemed that the prince was enjoying himself in this poor village. Taking him away and seeing his displeasure would make his death even sweeter.

"You all don't seem to be very happy about this," I smiled. "But all your problems will end soon." The crowd went silent, and everyone's eyes turned to me. "The prince's rule will end after today," I explained. "And you all see his dead body first hanging from the castle walls."


	11. Chapter 11

**Holy crap, this story is almost over. Only an epilogue after this. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing and reading. It really means a lot. Updates have been slow because I've had a busy summer, but it's almost over. By the way, my other story should be expected to receive updates because this one is almost over. They probably won't be as frequent as I like though, mostly because school is starting soon and I have some summer homework to finish that's really long. Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to review :) **

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**Len's POV**

I sat quietly on the horse, my mind completely blank. The guards around me also rode silently, but all seemed to be in good spirits. Perhaps, they felt joyful that I was returning to the palace, but I highly doubted that. I couldn't lie to myself any longer. I knew that I was hated.

A bit later, Dell rejoined the party. He was also quite happy and eager to return to the palace. "Don't worry," he told me. "I explained the situation to your… friends." I simply nodded, and pretended to be content with this. However, Rin's face was still etched in my mind. It would go away, and was plaguing me. It was a harsh reminder of how much I had hurt her.

The ride back to the castle seemed quicker than the time it had taken me to arrive at the village. We arrived back at the palace before midnight, but the ride still felt extremely long. When we arrived, no one was outside the palace, aside from a few guards. The party seemed to slip onto the castle grounds, under the cover of darkness. Everyone seemed to be silent now, even the horses. It was like we were sneaking back in. But that would be ridiculous. Why would we have to be snuck into my own palace?

"Be quiet," Dell whispered to me, as the horses were being sent to the stables. "If we make too much noise, we could alert some rebels that could be infiltrating the castle," he explained. It sounded a bit farfetched, but I agreed to keep quiet. No point in taking any unnecessary risks.

Dell quickly led me back into the palace. We entered through a side entrance. Inside, it seemed to be much colder than the outside. No fires were lit, and there was no way for the summer air to get inside. "I shall return to my room now," I told Dell, miserably. "I'm very tired, and need some sleep."

"Your room isn't safe," Dell said, though he didn't sound frightened at all. "I know for sure that there are traitors within this castle that are planning your demise. The guards haven't been able to 'remove' them, because of the search for you."

"So what are we going to do?" I asked, not really caring though. At this point, if someone killed me, I don't think I would be upset. It would probably please everyone in the village, especially Rin. In fact, everyone in the country would probably celebrate in the streets. For Dell's sake though, I would stay safe. It would be awful to lose a family member you cared about.

"Follow me," Dell said. I followed him, along with four extra guards. I followed him through the throne room, and towards the Western side of the castle. There wasn't very much there, just a few miscellaneous rooms and the kitchen. However, at the very end, there was a large tower. In years past, it had been used to lock up political prisoners. There was no escape, aside from jumping to your death. It had been very effective in the past, but it hadn't been used in years. Most people were locked up in the dungeons near the castle. They were much bigger, and it was easier to handle the amount of prisoners in a large area.

I thought back to what Rin had said about her brother. He was locked up there, somewhere. I decided when day came; I would personally go the dungeons and release him. It was the least I could do for her, after all the pain I put her through. I continued to follow Dell through the West end, and we arrived at a door that was the entrance to the tower.

"You will hide in here," Dell explained. "It is the safest place to be right now. There will be guards stationed at this door and the upper door to ensure your safety. I too will be on watch." Dell motioned at his sword, which looked sharp enough to kill a man with one swing. It would be awful to be caught on the other side of that thing.

Two guards stayed at the door, while the rest of us walked up the stairs. It was no easy trek, but eventually we made it up there. At the top, there was another large door that led into the cell area. Dell pulled out a key and opened the door. He handed the key to one of the guards, and led me inside. The two guards remained at the door to stand guard.

"I apologize, but you'll have to hide here for the night. It is in no way acceptable for a prince, but it'll have to do," Dell said. I walked into the cell. It was by far the largest, and was probably reserved for prisoners that were a part of the royal family. Treason like that had happened in the past. There were some dark stains on the floor, which frightened me a bit. Someone had been hurt here.

"Where will you be staying," I asked Dell. He smiled at me devilishly. "Right here of course." He reached for his sword, and pulled it out. The moonlight that came out of the cell's small window reflected of the sword, making it seem even deadlier.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Dell laughed. "You've been a pain in my side for long enough, you little brat. It's time for a new king in this kingdom." Suddenly, it seemed like the few good things left in my life where gone. The one person I had left in my life was gone. It all made sense though, looking back on everything. I could understand why he hated me. Everyone did.

"You're so stupid," Dell said, continuing his rant. "I probably could have killed you without sending you out to that stupid village. You're so naïve, you would have trusted me anyways. Though I suppose that makes your death sweeter for me and much more painful for you. I can't wait to savor the moment, when your blood drips through the streets and all the country will hail me as their savior. All the things I have done, you will be accounted for. The hatred upon you will be remembered for all of history, and I will be the hero. " Dell was laughing hysterically now. He seemed to be a madman.

Outside the cells, I could hear some commotion, but I ignored it. This was it. I was dead. There was nothing that was going to save me. The guards must be in on Dell's plan; otherwise they would've saved me by now. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind dying. It would make everything easier.

_Meanwhile…_

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**Rin's POV**

As the last of the palace officials left, everyone started to freak out. Kaito was in a fit of range, along with all the other men. Luka seemed to be cursing herself. Miku was beside me, comforting me. And I was in awe. My mind couldn't seem to comprehend what happened. It was all too fast. There was no way. It was impossible. I felt salty tears fall down my face. Miku wrapped her arms around me, trying to make me stop crying, but she remained silent. What was there left to say?

I slowly stood up, Miku helping me, and wiped my tears away. I was stronger than this. I was a fighter, and I could not let myself be taken down over something like this. Shouldn't I be happy? My enemy… our enemy, for years will finally be gone. It was something that I had dreamed of for years now, but things were different now. The prince I had always despised was someone that I cared about. He was more important to me now, than anything else in the world. Being around him made me happy, even if he didn't always have the greatest attitude. There was no way I could lie to myself. I liked him, truly liked him. I would be lying to myself if I said that I would enjoy his death.

My thoughts were slowly becoming clearer. I could understand my feelings now, and I knew exactly what I had to do. I wasn't going to let Len die, no way. He might have caused problems for lots of people, but I know now that he didn't do it on purpose. Len just couldn't understand the repercussions of his actions. His personality showed that clearly. He could be cold-hearted and cruel sometimes, but he could be kind and wonderful too.

"Miku, I'm fine," I told my friend. She nodded, and let go of me. I walked up to Kaito, who was still extremely angry. "That bastard!" Kaito growled. "He took us all for fools, and we fell for it. We shouldn't have let him stay here. We should have killed him right away." All the other men nodded in agreement. They seemed to be just as angry as Kaito.

"Stop it!" I yelled. All turned to me, and stopped talking. "You're all ridiculous!" I shouted. "Len was a friend, and you know it. Kaito, you enjoyed teaching him how to swordfight, even if it was frustrating at sometimes. So don't badmouth him, because you know how amazing of a person Len can be. He's a hard-worker and though he can seem cold-hearted, a nice person. Now isn't the time to turn on him, instead we need to rescue him. He's going to die!" By now, there were tears at the corners of my eyes, but they weren't because I was sad. Instead, I was angry and frustrated.

"But Rin," Kaito argued. "He's the one that ruined your life, our lives. He's the reason we're stuck here and have had our lives ruined! Why should we forgive that?"

"He brought us together!" I cried out. "Without him, would we have even met each other? No! Kaito, you'd have never have met Miku. Same with Gakupo and Luka, Meiko and Kiyoteru. Everyone here would be strangers, without Len." Everyone was quiet, as they took my point into consideration.

"That doesn't forgive all the terrible things he's done to us and the whole the country," Mikuo pointed out. "He almost took Miku away from me forever. That's unforgivable." I thought back when I had explained to Len why we all hated the prince and had gathered here. When I explained Miku's almost kidnapping, he was confused. It was like he had never heard of such a thing. In fact, he didn't seem to know anything about why we would hate the prince, aside from people being arrested. Suddenly, pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall in place for me. Could Len not be responsible for all of those crimes? Could he be more innocent than we all thought? But who could have done it instead?

This guess was flimsy, and might not even be true, but it would have to be enough to convince everyone else that Len was worth saving. "Our problems are not Len's fault!" I protested. "He's innocent, and I know it."

"How isn't it his fault?" Kaito demanded. "Who else could have done it?"

"I don't know," I confessed, "but you have to believe me!" Kaito thought to himself for a moment, his anger dimming down. He was thinking about what I was saying. If I was lucky, he would believe me. Still, he seemed doubtful.

"I believe Rin," Miku interjected suddenly. "If she trusts Len, we should too. Besides, in the time he stayed here, he never did anything wrong. He could be a little rude sometimes, but besides that, he was a good person. I support Rin, end of story."

"Fine," Kaito sighed. "Rin, I'll trust you on this, but you'd better hope you aren't wrong." Thank you, Miku. Without your input, Kaito would never have believed in me. "I have one more thing to ask," I said. "Who will come with me to save Len?"

"Save him?" Mikuo cried. "Are you insane?"

"If you believe in his innocence," I said, "then yes, save him. We need to bring the real culprit to justice, and save Len. We can do it, we're strong enough!"

"I can't believe that I'm doing this," Kaito said, "but I'll do it. I'm going to put my trust in you, Rin, but if I die you're never going to hear the end of it in the afterlife." I smiled, and readily agreed. "Anyone else?" I asked. Slowly, everyone agreed to help, even Mikuo agreed after a bit of persuading.

"We have to leave now though," I pointed out. "The gray-haired man made it seem like Len's execution will be tonight, so we have no time to waste. Everyone needs to get their swords. And those who can't fight need to prepare all the horses we have, and together some extra supplies." Everyone went off in their different directions to get ready. The only ones to fight would be the men and me, making us a small force.

Within a few minutes, we were ready to go. We only had a few horses, so I would have to ride with Kaito. We gave a few quick goo-byes, and set off. We rode through the night as fast as possible. Kiyoteru was depended upon to take us to the castle, since he was the only one that had ever been. His memory was a little hazy though, and I prayed that we would get there on time.

The entire ride made me nervous. Only now did I realize how serious this thing was. The guards could imprison us for good, or even kill us. I could've just taken away the lives of my friends, so I hope that all this is worth it. After more intense riding, we arrived at the castle. We arrived near a side with a stable. The horses were left there, and the rest of us set of to invade the castle. Kiyoteru showed us a small side entrance that he remembered. We got inside, no problem. It bothered me that there was little security. It appeared that no one cared who got in and out of the castle, like the prince's safety wasn't a priority (which I guess it wasn't).

"Where would he be?" I asked to no one in particular. "Do we even know if he's in the castle?"

"Didn't that man say something about hanging Len's body from the palace walls?" Kiyoteru asked. I nodded and shivered at the thought. "If I wanted to display a body from here," Kiyoteru explained. "I'd do it from the tower, where everyone could see it. I'd kill someone there to, so I wouldn't have to carry the body. That's where we need to check. It's a longshot, but it's the only guess we have." I trusted Kiyoteru, so we decided to check this tower.

As we walked through the castle, there were still no guards. Everything seemed deserted, until we passed by a kitchen. Cheers and hoots could be heard, along with the speech of drunken men. It seemed that there was a party inside the kitchen. That was where most of the guards were and they seemed to be celebrating something. We sneaked around the kitchen, trying not to get any unwanted attention. As soon as we were in the clear, we ran towards the tower entrance.

There were two guards there, but they didn't seem to be taking guard duty seriously. They were goofing around, enjoying themselves. We could probably distract them, and head up the stairs. Kiyoteru and Gakupo volunteered to be the distractions. They ran in front of the guards, swords in hand. The guards looked surprised, but quickly reached for their own swords. Kiyoteru and Gakupo ran off, away from the tower with the guards running behind them.

Kaito, Mikuo and I walked up to the door and to our surprise; there was no lock on it. We quickly ran up the stairs, going as fast as our legs could take us. When we came around the last corner of the staircase, we saw another door, guarded by two more guards. Kaito and Mikuo immediately went on the attack. The guards didn't see it coming. Kaito and Mikuo knocked out the both of them, being careful not to land any fatal blows. After all, the guards were just doing their jobs. There was no reason to kill them.

I checked the door and it too was unlocked. The security in this place is awful. I was about to go into the tower, when Kaito grabbed my hand. "We need to stay here, in case these two wake up," Kaito said. "Can you handle whatever is ahead?" I nodded, and Kaito gave me a smile.

I ran into the tower room, and to my surprise it was bigger than I had expected. It was easily the size of my house in the village. I'd have to do a bit of looking. I could hear a man's laugh from around a corner, and I knew that was where I needed to look. I raced around to see the gray-haired man holding up a sword to Len. He was in the position to strike at any moment. There wouldn't be enough time for me to ready my sword and counterattack. The only way was to block the blow, and just a sword would be able to do that. I would need something bigger. I'm about to do something incredibly stupid, but I'm not going to let Len die while I'm here.

* * *

**Len's POV**

Dell was ready, and I was ready to die. There was no reason to even retaliate. I simply stood there and accepted my fate, but the sword never hit me. Instead, I heard the sickening sound of a sword in a body and heard a thud on the ground. Looking down, I saw Rin, lying there, bloodied. H-how did she get here? This can't be happening? Dell looked down at Rin, extremely confused. It was obvious that he wasn't expecting her either.

Almost as quickly as Rin had appeared, she stood back up again. There was a large wound on her side, and blood seeped through her clothes. She had her sword out now, and was standing in front of me. "Back off!" she yelled at Dell. "You won't hurt him." Dell gave her devious smile and pointed his sword at her face. "You're that pathetic bitch from that village. I don't know what you're doing here, but you'll regret that you interfered with the prince's and my personal matters."

Dell attacked, but Rin countered it. The two seemed to be in an all-out battle. I could see now that Rin was an extremely skilled swordsman, but with her wound, her stamina seemed to be failing. Dell was a man too, and he would eventually over power her. And here I was, a coward in the corner, letting Rin protect me after all the terrible things I had done to her.

Suddenly, Dell stuck out his foot and tripped Rin. He slashed his sword at her and she fell to the ground. In most fights, that would be a dishonorable thing to do, but Dell had no honor at this point. Rin gave out a groan, and then went silent. Dell kicked her body and then turned to me. "Now that we're done with that problem, it's time for the main event," he smiled.

I noticed that Rin's sword was lying next to her, and I lunged for it. Now I had a weapon too, and it could buy me a bit of time. "Do you really think you can fight back, you pathetic brat?" Dell taunted me. "No one's even ever taught you how to hold a sword!"

Now I became angry. He was taunting me, and he hurt Rin. There was no way I could sit here any longer. I'd protect myself and help Rin, or I would die trying. I ran at Dell, trying to remember all things Kaito had taught me. In my situation, it might be easier to resort to attacking the vulnerable points on a person's body. Dell attacked, but I blocked it with my sword. However, the force of the blow almost knocked me off of my feet. It was clear that Dell's strength was superior to mine. He came at me again, and again I blocked it, but almost fell over.

I would need a miracle to win this fight, but I wouldn't give up. For Rin, I would keep going. After a few minutes of fighting, Dell seemed irritated and I was getting tired. The fight wouldn't last much longer. I decided to give one final push of strength, and risk everything. I stepped back from the fight, which caught Dell of guard. I swung my sword in the air with all my strength, and heard a sickening slice. I closed my eyes and heard Dell's body fall to the ground. He made no more noises, reassuring me that he was dead. I didn't feel guilty in the slightest. Instead, I was too worried about Rin.

I dropped the sword on the ground, and ran over to Rin's body. Her shirt was caked with blood and the wound seemed to be getting worse every moment. I grabbed her hand, and it felt colder than normal. Her face was very pale, and she seemed to be hardly breathing at all. A wave of emotion swept over me, and I did something that I had never done before. I began to cry.

This wasn't fair! Why does she have to die, when I'm the one who clearly deserved it? Why would she come all the way here and risk her life to save me? My tears mixed with the drops of blood on the ground, as I continued to cry. I had never felt this much emotion in my life. It felt like I had lost the most important thing I'd ever had. My first friend and the first person that I ever cared about. I sat, staring at Rin's body, just crying.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a young woman wearing purple, standing behind me. She seemed vaguely familiar. Still, I wondered how she had gotten in here. She wasn't there a few minutes ago.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, prince?" the woman smiled. How could she be smiling at a time like this? I completely ignored her, and turned back to Rin. The woman kneeled down next to me, and looked at Rin's body. Then, she looked up at my face and smiled. "Ah, I see," she observed. "It took you long enough to break that curse," she laughed. "It wasn't even that strong of a curse, considering I was only a beginner at that time."

I was surprised that the mysterious woman knew about my curse. Suddenly, I realized why she looked so familiar. She was the "witch" that had cast it on me. "I suppose this is a little too far for the sake of teaching you how to love though," the woman said, looking back at Rin's body. "Even I couldn't have predicted that something like this could've happened."

"Can you do anything?" I asked. She was a witch and could do magic. Maybe she could save Rin. "It's the least I could do," the purple-haired woman smiled. "She seems to be very important to you, and she's a brave girl." The woman placed her hands on Rin's stomach and murmured some strange words. The wounds on Rin's body seemed to close up, instantly, and Rin opened her eyes.

"What happened?" she groaned, showing that she was still in some pain. She looked at me and her eyes widened. "Len, you're okay!" Rin gave me a giant hug, and started to cry. "I was so worried," she sobbed. "I thought you were going to die." I hugged her in return, holding her tightly, so that she couldn't get away.

I wanted to thank the purple-haired lady, but she seemed to be gone. Suddenly, footsteps filled the room and I saw Kaito and Mikuo standing there. "What's going on?" Kaito asked. "We heard something and got worried!" (Now they're here). "We're fine," Rin smiled, as she broke the hug.

"Who's this guy?" Mikuo asked, pointing to Dell's dead body on the ground. I hadn't been paying attention to it before, but now I noticed that I had cut a deadly and deep wound in his stomach, causing him to die almost instantly.

"No one," I explained. "Now, I think we should leave. There are some things I have to do that can't wait until morning."


End file.
